ACE Looks to Expand Service
Posted on: Monday, 1 August 2005, 18:00 CDT
Aug. 1--Altamont Commuter Express train officials are looking to expand services to surrounding counties, including Contra Costa and Merced.
While still in the early stages of study, additional rail service connecting the Central Valley, Contra Costa County and Sacramento would give commuters alternatives to driving, transportation officials said.
The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, which owns and operates ACE, wants to run commuter train service into west Merced County, through Los Banos and Gustine, and up to Modesto in Stanislaus County. Service could continue through Patterson and Tracy to Martinez in Contra Costa County.
The commission also is looking to expand interregional service, adding lines to connect Lodi with the rest of San Joaquin County. Another line could run between Stockton and Contra Costa County along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway line, ACE officials said.
ACE operates three daily round-trip commuter trains between Stockton and San Jose with stops in Lathrop, Tracy, Livermore, Pleasanton, Fremont and Santa Clara. About 1,300 people ride the ACE train each day.
The rail commission has allocated $500,000 for a consultant to study the feasibility, cost and potential ridership of expanded service, said Brian Schmidt, rail program manager. A final study should be concluded at the beginning of 2006.
"The highways can only expand so much," Schmidt said.
While the cost of additional service hasn't been determined, Schmidt said that upgrading railroad lines would be expensive.
To obtain federal funding for track improvements, a solid ridership would have to be identified, Schmidt said.
But even before the studies have started, transportation officials say they believe there will be enough riders to support an expanded rail system. With more commuters moving farther east, more public transit connections are necessary, especially to link the Central Valley and Bay Area, officials said.
Gary Carman recently quit driving from Manteca to Contra Costa County and started taking the ACE train.
He has added 30 minutes to his commute because he has to transfer from train to bus before he reaches Contra Costa County.
A seamless commute would be ideal, Carman said.
Officials in neighboring counties have said they're eager to see more public transit options as the commuting population continues to grow in the Central Valley.
John Greitzer, senior transportation planner for Contra Costa County, said an expanded commuter train service would most benefit residents living in the eastern part of the county. That includes Byron, Brentwood and Antioch, where about 150,000 commuters daily are limited to a congested Highway 4.
"There would be ridership. I just don't know how much," Greitzer said. "Our county supports the development of all possible alternatives to single-occupant automobiles."
The rail commission first talked about the idea of expanding service last year when it asked a consultant to study a possible commuter train running from Modesto through Lodi and up to Sacramento to help get commuters off Highway 99.
The train, dubbed the Central Valley Express, could accommodate the nearly 10,000 commuters who drive daily between Stanislaus and San Joaquin County, transportation officials said.
The cost, estimated to run as high as $6 million annually, would be shared among San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Sacramento counties.
"You'd get a lot of cars off the road," said Mike Restuccia, a Ripon city councilman who sits on the Rail Commission.
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