The study focus on determining the optimal options for: rail connectivity and operations, equipment needs, governance, and community benefits for service between Monterey County and Santa Clara County, Monterey and Santa Cruz, and the Coast Rail Corridor. This study will also assist TAMC by providing the data needed to prepare grant applications for funding new stations at Pajaro/Watsonville, Castroville, Soledad and King City.
The team is currently looking for comments on three draft memos (see web attachments) that will form the foundation of the Network Integration Study:
Existing and Future Conditions memo
The draft Existing and Future Conditions memo provides a basis for understanding the existing conditions in the study area, which is crucial for informing the demands, opportunities, and challenges for implementing additional passenger rail service and complementing transit service in the study area. Understanding existing travel patterns and mapping the demographic and socioeconomic distribution of residents in the study area informs where the most useful station locations could be, where riders are coming from and where they are going, and what barriers for using rail might exist and how they can be mitigated. A comprehensive catalog of existing transit operations and bike networks is critical to planning for future rail service, so that transit service and bike networks can be integrated. Also, key to planning for future passenger rail service is understanding the potential for sea level rise for affecting the rail corridors to design a service that is resilient to climate changes over the coming decades. Another key piece of groundwork is the understanding of rail operations, shared use-agreements, and the roles of governments and rail operators in the study area.
Future Service Vision
The Monterey Bay Regional Rail Network Integration Study requires a service concept for a robust passenger rail service connecting Monterey Bay communities and the Central Coast to San Jose. Through the service planning and network integration process, the project team is designing an implementable, technically sound vision for a future Monterey Bay Area regional rail network that accomplishes TAMC’s service goals and provides technical inputs for implementation planning.
Grant Strategy memo
As grants will be key to closing funding gaps to implement projects identified by the Monterey Bay Area Rail Network Integration Study, this memo provides a basis for strategizing and recommendations for TAMC in its efforts to apply for federal and state grants. Federal, state and local funding sources have been identified, as well as their eligibility requirements. In general, benefit-cost analysis and environmental review will be required for most grant applications and applicable documentation should be prepared as projects are developed. Coordination with the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the State is often required as well, so the projects should be included in their respective planning documents.This memo has been designed and is intended to form part of the funding strategy section of the final Network Integration Study document. Technical analysis documentation will be prepared for the final document appendices and subsequent use in grant applications.
The next Network Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for January 27, 2020, at 1 pm in TAMC's conference room.