PURPOSE:

 

The purpose of this report is to present a recommendation by the Transportation Commission to issue a resolution of support to establish �Coast Daylight� Amtrak intercity rail service between Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown San Francisco with intermediate stops at various cities including a stop at the Bob Hope Airport Station in Burbank.

 

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:

 

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is responsible for the planning and implementation of intercity passenger rail service in California.  State law requires Caltrans maintain a 10-year State Rail Plan to review passenger and freight operations in the state and suggest capital improvements and service enhancements over a 10-year planning horizon.  One of the improvements identified in the plan is an extension of the current Pacific Surfliner service from its existing terminus in San Luis Obispo to San Francisco.  The State Rail Plan identifies this expansion to occur by Fiscal Year 2007/2008.  The purpose of this expansion is to provide better passenger rail connections to Central Coast cities and provide a rail connection between Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown San Francisco.

 

Burbank is currently served by Amtrak service via the Bob Hope Airport Amtrak/Metrolink station.  The Pacific Surfliner extends from San Diego to San Luis Obispo via Downtown Los Angeles, Burbank, Ventura, and Santa Barbara, and serves a number of local cities between the two endpoints.  While a number of daily trains serve the southern portion of the route from Downtown Los Angeles to San Diego, service on the northern segment from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara (including a stop in Burbank) occurs via five trains daily, with two of those trains extending north to San Luis Obispo.  In addition to the Surfliner trains, Amtrak operates one train daily -- the Coast Starlight -- between Downtown Los Angeles and Seattle, Washington.  Operating as a longer service, the Coast Starlight provides a connection between Los Angeles and San Francisco (via Oakland) but makes limited stops along the corridor as compared to the Surfliner.  The Coast Starlight does not serve Burbank directly.

 

The proposed Coast Daylight would provide once-daily service between Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles and the Downtown San Francisco Caltrain Station.  The line would be implemented by extending one daily Surfliner train in each direction north of San Luis Obispo, to serve northern Central Coast cities, San Jose, and the San Francisco Peninsula.  Estimated one-way travel times between Los Angeles and San Francisco would be approximately 11 hours.  While the details of the new service have not been finalized, the line would likely serve Burbank via the Bob Hope Airport Station because it would share many of the same Surfliner stops, and would achieve a Caltrans policy of connecting rail facilities to airports. The service would also augment the existing Coast Starlight Amtrak service to the Bay Area by providing a second train to San Francisco.  However, unlike the Coast Starlight, the Coast Daylight proposal would serve Burbank directly, contain more Central Coast stops, and connect to San Francisco directly rather than via Oakland.

 

The Coast Rail Coordinating Council (CRCC) is a coalition of transportation planning agencies and local governments, along with Caltrans, Amtrak, and Union Pacific that focuses on improving speed and frequency of passenger and freight trains within the Central Coast region.  The CRCC has been lobbying for the Coast Daylight for approximately 10 years, after a study of Coast Line operations by the group determined that this service would be beneficial to enhancing transportation options to Central Coast cities.  While the need for this service has been demonstrated, the primary obstacles to its implementation are securing operating and capital funding for new trains.  In addition, because Union Pacific operates the rail line between San Luis Obispo and the Bay Area, a use agreement must be developed to allow additional passenger trains along with the Union Pacific freight operations.  Union Pacific has indicated that additional track improvements would be required to ensure that the new passenger service does not affect freight operations on the corridor.  These additional track improvements are estimated to cost $40-50 million and would include new sidings and passing tracks between San Luis Obispo and San Jose.

 

Because of these funding obstacles, Coast Daylight proposal has not progressed beyond the planning and feasibility stage.  However, the recent passage of State Transportation Bond Proposition 1B allocates funds specifically for improving intercity passenger rail service in California.  With the availability of these funds, there now exists the possibility of securing operating, capital, and track improvement funds to implement this service.

 

A number of local agencies along the corridor have already voiced support of the new service to the Governor, State Legislators, and Caltrans.  Agencies that have already passed resolutions in support of the Coast Daylight include the counties of Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Clara, and the cities of San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, and others.  The CRCC continues to solicit local resolutions of support for the proposed rail service from local agencies served by the corridor.  Burbank�s support of the Coast Daylight would show the city�s desire to improve connectivity between Burbank, Central California, and the San Francisco Bay Area and would also ensure that a stop in Burbank is considered as the route is developed.

 

The Transportation Commission reviewed and discussed the proposed Coast Daylight at their regular meeting of November 20^th.  The Commission voted 6-0 to recommend a resolution be presented to the City Council supporting the Coast Daylight service implementation.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:

 

The proposed resolution of support for the Coast Daylight would not incur any direct costs to the City of Burbank, as the service would be financed through state revenues and bond funds if implemented.  Also, because this service would likely be funded through the portion of state bond revenues that are legislatively required to be spent specifically on intercity passenger rail, implementation would not jeopardize the availability of bond funds for other highway and transit priorities that may be of higher importance to the City.

 

CONCLUSION:

 

The Coast Daylight would provide additional connectivity between Burbank and a number of Central Coast cites, as well as provide a rail option for travel to San Francisco.  By extending existing Pacific Surfliner north of its existing terminus in San Luis Obispo, the Coast Daylight will provide additional transportation options for travel between Burbank and the central sections of the state.  Through a resolution of support to the Governor, State Legislators, and Caltrans, the City of Burbank would be requesting that the state consider enhancements to this rail corridor as it programs funds from recent transportation bond funds allocated to intercity rail.

 

RECOMMENDATION:

 

Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the proposed resolution of support for the proposed Coast Daylight intercity passenger rail service between Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown San Francisco with service to Burbank provided by a stop at the Bob Hope Airport Station.

 

LIST OF EXHIBITS:

 

Exhibit A:  Amtrak California Coast Line Passenger Rail Service Map