Title
Study Session Summary of January 23, 2018 - Presentation by the California High-Speed Rail Authority on the Status and Next Steps on the High-Speed Rail Project
Summary
Call to Order:
Vice Mayor Larry Klein called the meeting to order at 6 p.m.
City Councilmembers Present:
Mayor Glenn Hendricks
Vice Mayor Larry Klein
Councilmember Jim Griffith
Councilmember Gustav Larsson
Councilmember Nancy Smith
Councilmember Russ Melton
Councilmember Michael S. Goldman
City Councilmembers Absent:
None
Study Session Summary:
Wayne Tanda, Interim Public Works Director, introduced Ben Tripousis, Northern California Regional Director of the California High Speed Rail (CHSR), as well as Will Gimpel, Regional Project Manager, and Yosef Yip, Northern California Outreach Representative. Mr. Tripousis delivered a presentation and update on the High Speed Rail project including current construction in the Central Valley and environmental review for the San Francisco to San José corridor. Mr. Gimpel then outlined the Blended System concept for operating within the confines of the existing Caltrain corridor between San Francisco to San José. He also outlined two alternatives under consideration for the Brisbane light maintenance facility, mid-Peninsula passing tracks, and Santa Clara to Diridon viaduct. Mr. Tripousis discussed outreach activities and invited Sunnyvale input regarding parts of the community that they have not reached. Finally, he discussed the process of updating the CHSR Business Plan and coordination with the Caltrain Business Plan and 2018 State Rail Plan.
Councilmembers asked about grade separation funding partnerships; outreach to environmental justice (EJ) communities; project cost escalation and completion; building for sea level rise; key milestones for input; potential for a mid-Peninsula station; and HSR travel speeds. Mr. Tripousis responded that CHSR would be willing to discuss grade separation partnerships on a case-by-case basis, and indicated that CHSR would provide four quadrant gates at each crossing as a first step. Sunnyvale was not identified as an EJ community disproportionately affected by the project, so Ben Tripousis requested input to identify communities. He also indicated that mid-Peninsula station is not planned for the current project, but is not precluded sometime in the future.
Public Comment:
One member of the public commended the community outreach undertaken for Sunnyvale’s Caltrain Grade Separation project, and hoped to see a continuation of that work to include the community in planning the rail corridor.
Adjournment:
Vice Mayor Larry Klein adjourned the meeting at 6:49 p.m.