Published Saturday, September 21, 2002, in the San Jose Mercury News

Proponents of high-speed rail plan need specifics to sell voters by 2004

By Gary Richards

When Gov. Gray Davis signed legislation Thursday to put a $10 billion bond
measure on the 2004 ballot to run high-speed trains between Los Angeles
and San Francisco, he called it "a new era" in California.

He may be right.

If approved by voters, the measure would be a bold stroke, bringing cash
to a rail commission that once seemed lucky to pay its small staff. This
is similar to what Davis did two years ago with the BART extension to San
Jose, providing $725 million in state aid for another dream that had
lacked one key ingredient: cash.

The state money propelled Santa Clara County leaders to put a measure on
the 2000 ballot to fund BART and other transit improvements. Voters
approved what was dubbed "the BART tax" by nearly a 72 percent margin.

Now, the real work begins with bullet trains. High-speed advocates have to
convince the public that these trains are worth the hefty investment. That
means pinpointing the exact locations of stations and routes through
communities, some eager to have trains, some not so eager.

Some proponents wanted the measure on this November's ballot. But, said
Richard Silver of the Rail Passengers Association of California: "Waiting
until 2004 gives the high speed authority time to put together a good
plan. Quite honestly, this is not going to fly if there is not a plan
about where stations will be, the frequency of service, fares, issues like
that."

If approved, the measure could bring Caltrain into the big leagues of
transit service. Already, the Peninsula line is moving ahead with plans to
speed up trains so the San Francisco-to-San Jose run can be trimmed from
90 minutes to an hour, matching the time it takes to drive. And Caltrain's
10-year plan to electrify service, which would further cut commute times,
is moving ahead.

The proposed high-speed trains would run alongside Caltrain, quadrupling
tracks in this corridor. Roughly $3 billion worth of bonds would be used
on this segment, providing Caltrain the opportunity to match an equal
amount from Washington.

"This makes us eligible for a lot of federal programs that we would not
otherwise be eligible for," said Caltrain spokeswoman Jayme Maltbie. "We
are very excited. With BART-Caltrain connecting in Millbrae soon, plus
high speed, this can really bring Caltrain into the 21st century."

HIGH-SPEED SUMMIT: Bullet-train advocates will meet in San Jose Wednesday
from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at San Jose State's Morris Dailey Auditorium. The
public is invited and can register by e-mail at
hsrforum@... or call (866) 267-8024. [BATN note: see
http://www.bayrailalliance.org/hsrforum for detailed event information.]

BART-TO-SAN JOSE: Four public meetings are coming up (all from 6 p.m. to 8
p.m.).

* Monday, Milpitas Police Dept. Community Room, 1275 North Milpitas Blvd.

* Sept. 30, Santa Clara Mission Library, 1098 Lexington St.

* Oct. 1, San Jose High Academy, 275 N. 24th St.

* Oct. 2, First United Methodist Church, 24 N. Fifth St.

Contact Gary Richards at mrroadshow@... or (408) 920-5335.