High-speed rail coming to the Peninsula

Governor Brown's folly

From the Community Coalition on High-Speed Rail:

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has big plans for the San Francisco Peninsula, and you aren't going to like them if you live or work in any of the communities between San Jose and San Francisco.

This report is a kind of "standby" notice. Summer is generally vacation time, not only for school teachers and students, but for governmental agencies, too. When September and October get here, the California High-Speed Rail Authority will be back on track with one of the most destructive proposals you can imagine.

Exact details are expected in September or October, when the Authority will provide specifics on its "preferred alternative" for high-speed rail on the Peninsula. 

All the details are not yet available, but a broad outline of the Authority's high speed plans is now becoming clear. Here is what's coming: PARALYSIS ON THE PENINSULA.

The High-Speed Rail Authority wants to put its trains on the Caltrain right-of-way without providing necessary grade crossings first. The Authority is also calling for a schedule that will mean a train every two and one-half minutes along the tracks.

Think about it! The crossing gates will be coming down every 2 ½ minutes. If you need to get to work, too bad! If you need to get your kids to school, too bad! If there is an emergency, and emergency services vehicles need to get from the east side of the tracks to the west side of the tracks, too bad!

Traffic is already horrendous. The High-Speed Rail Authority plans to make it intolerable.

There are a few other features of the plans that will become clearer as the specifics are brought to light, but widening the existing right-of-way through Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Atherton could require condemnation and takings of both business and residential properties.

And did we mention noise? There will be noise! More noise! Lots of noise!!

CC-HSR has been fighting to protect the Peninsula from adverse high-speed rail impacts since 2008. In large part because the Peninsula got organized back then, the Authority turned its attention to the Central Valley.

Well, now the Authority is BAAACCCK!

Get ready! This is, in fact, a "standby" notice. CC-HSR is pretty certain that we are going to be asking for your help to mount a major campaign to stop the Authority's latest plan. We are certain that the impacts of that plan will be horrible, in terms of what we already know the plan will mean for local communities and local residents. We already know that PARALYSIS is not too strong a word.

When more details are available, you'll hear from us! In the meantime, thank you for your continuing support for CC-HSR.