On November 9, ULIsf hosted a panel of experts to share insights regarding the California High-Speed Rail Project. Over 65 attendees gathered at San Francisco State University Downtown Campus as Mike Grisso, Senior Project Manager, San Francisco Redevelopment Authority, moderated the panel including:

• Greg Albright, Deputy Program Manager, California High Speed Rail Authority
• Robert Beck, Project Manager, Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA)
• Jeffrey Heller, Partner, Heller Manus Architects

The event included a presentation by Robert Beck on the Transbay Transit Center Project, which is currently the largest transit project under construction in the Western United States. The Transit Center will replace the old Transbay Terminal, which operated between 1939 and 2010. When complete, the Transbay Transit Center will operate as a modern regional transit hub connecting eight Bay Area counties and the State of California through future high-speed rail and 10 transit systems:

• AC Transit
• Amtrak
• BART
• Caltrain
• Golden Gate Transit
• Greyhound, Muni
• Lynx
• Paratransit
• SamTrans
• WestCA

The first phase of the $4.2 billion Transit Center began with construction of the Temporary Terminal located at Howard and Main Streets. Demolition of the old Transbay Terminal followed and construction of the new Transit Center began in spring 2011. Some features of the Transit Center include:

• Mixed building types and design
• 5.4-acre City Parko 2,600 new homes
• Surrounding Main Street retail
• Over 3 million SF of new office and commercial space

Construction of the Transit Center complies with LEED Gold Certified standards, incorporating green building strategies such as solar shading, wind power and the use of natural light to conserve water and energy.

The $4.2 billion Transit Center is being constructed in two phases and will serve up to 45 million people annually. The first phase, which will be completed in 2017, is fully funded through local, regional, state and federal sources at a cost of $1.6 billion. The TJPA is seeking new sources to fund Phase Two of the project. The new Transbay Transit Center will stimulate the economy by creating more than 125,000 jobs. For more information regarding the new Transbay Transit Center, visit http://transbaycenter.org/.

Heller Manus, Jeffrey Heller’s firm is developing a master plan for Guangzhou, China, incorporating waterfront and transit-oriented development, with a ferry terminal, central government districts, and a variety of urban land uses. Heller shared his experience riding Maglev (short for magnetic levitation) high-speed rail system, while working in China.

Traveling at speeds up to 267 mph, Maglev moves while suspended, guided, and propelled above a guideway by magnetic fields, with no physical contact between the vehicle and the guideway. This technology makes mechanical wear negligible and the service life of these vehicles is longer than that of conventional rail vehicles. Other benefits Heller noted include:

• Improved air quality, due to electric powered trains
• Faster travel on ground between major metropolitan areas
• Congestion relief on freeways and at airports

Gregg Albright gave an overview of the 2012 draft business plan for the California High-Speed Rail project. The business plan describes a phased approach to construction starting in the Central Valley. This approach allows for adaptation to changing financial conditions, while moving forward, segment by segment. The plan also allows for the updating of cost estimates, ridership figures and funding expectations to reflect current economic realities. The new plan will enable a fiscally sound project that can attract and drive private investment and generate strong revenues.

As the California’s population grows from 38 million people today to 60 million people by mid-century, it is estimated that without high-speed rail California will need as much as $171 billion to meet transportation needs.  That means an additional 2,300 lane-miles of highways, 4 runways, and 115 airline gates will need to be built.

California’s high-speed rail system is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 3 million tons annually and will save Californians 146 million hours in travel time each year, compared to auto and air travel.

Construction is expected to begin in 2012 with a 130-mile segment stretching from just north of Bakersfield to just south of Merced. The funding for this piece, which will serve as the “backbone” of the system, has already been identified through federal funds and the voter-approved Proposition 1A. This initial Central Valley section is expected to create 100,000 jobs in the next five years. For more information regarding California’s High Speed Rail project, visit http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/home.aspx.

Since ULIsf’s high-speed rail presentation, Congress voted to eliminate all bullet train funding for the second straight year. It is anticipated that billions of dollars still in the pipeline will ensure that work can continue on some projects. And it’s still possible that money from another transportation grant program can be steered toward California high-speed trains in the future.

Authored by: Pam May, TechScribe Communications, Oakland