RECEIVE update and PROVIDE input on the planned increase in passenger rail service along the coast corridor between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Progress since the last update to this Committee in February includes working group meeting on February 19, 2021 and a Policy Committee meeting on March 19, 2021 and the drafting of the Coast Rail Service Implementation Plan.

The draft Coast Rail Service Implementation Plan estimates the rail project capital and operation costs as follows:

Mid-term (one round trip):

A) Capitol Corridor extension from San Jose to San Luis Obispo: $160 million capitol, $26 million operating

B) Pacific Surfliner extension from San Luis Obispo to Salinas: $165 million capital, $28 million operating

C) Coast Daylight from Los Angeles to San Francisco: $194 million capital, $28 million operating

Long-term (four round trips):

A) Capitol Corridor extension from San Jose to San Luis Obispo: $131 million capitol additional, $64 million operating

B) Pacific Surfliner extension from San Luis Obispo to Salinas: $135 million capital additional, $72 million operating

C) Coast Daylight from Los Angeles to San Francisco: $135 million capital additional, $72 million operating

The Coast Rail Coordinating Council (CRCC) is a multi-agency advisory and planning organization focused on improving the rail corridor between Los Angeles and the San Francisco bay area along the California Central Coast. Members of Council include all regional transportation planning agencies along the Central Coast – all of which have a strong interest in improving rail service and the rail infrastructure along the Central Coast’s portion of the California Coast Passenger Rail Corridor. 

The working group met on February 19 and discussed the concept of applying for operations funding in the next round of State Rail Assistance funds and received updates from Caltrans and partner agencies. 

The Policy Committee met on March 19. The agenda is online as web attachment 1. The San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) presented the draft Coast Rail Service Implementation Plan at that meeting (pages 6-46). The Policy Committee also received an update from the City of King about the progress on their platform project (pages 47-48). Subsequently, SLOCOG made changes to the draft Plan, and the revised draft is online as web attachment 2.

Based on the 2018 State Rail Plan, the Coast Rail Service Implementation Plan lays out three scenarios for delivering a through train on the coast line between San Luis Obispo and Salinas (and beyond on either end), one round trip in a mid-term scenario (2027), and four round trips in a long-term scenario (2040):

A) Capitol Corridor extension from San Jose to San Luis Obispo

B) Pacific Surfliner extension from San Luis Obispo to Salinas, with the caveat that extending northward would be preferred but not evaluated

C) Coast Daylight from Los Angeles to San Francisco

The study evaluates the relative capital and operating costs and other pros and cons of the three options.

Agency staff provided feedback to SLOCOG that the Pacific Surfliner extension should have San Jose as an endpoint, instead of Salinas, and on other issues. Staff acknowledges the overlap and differences between this plan and the Monterey Bay Area Network Integration Study (NIS), which envisions four round trips in 2032 and eight round trips in 2050 for this corridor. The NIS is agnostic as to what kind of service provider would accomplish that service frequency, and identifies capital investments needed to support that level of service that are somewhat different from the investments identified in the SLOCOG Plan.

SLOCOG staff and consultants will present the draft study for input. The study will go to the SLOCOG Board of Directors in June for adoption.

• March 19, 2021 Coast Rail Coordinating Council Policy Committee agenda (of which pages 6-46 are the Coast Rail Service Implementation Plan)
• Draft Coast Rail Service Implementation Plan with Appendices