Issue date: July 14, 1999
By Arthur L. Lloyd
Sounds good? Yes! Hot button topic in transit? Yes! Practical and timely? No! Costly? Yes! Future project? Yes!
The proposal by SAMCEDA (San Mateo County Economic Development Association) to extend BART from the planned terminal at Millbrae to Menlo Park is something for future consideration. But, first, let us secure the funding, still iffy, to complete the transit line to Millbrae and SFO. SamTrans, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and BART, itself, have gone out on a limb to bridge over with loans the money to continue the project to San Francisco International Airport and now is not the time to even talk about further extensions.
BART, funded by property taxes in San Francisco, Contra Costa and Alameda counties, has obligations to those entities to complete promised extensions to Warm Springs, northwest Contra Costa County (Crockett vicinity) as well as to San Francisco International Airport (with excellent ridership projections) and Millbrae. As for San Jose, Mayor Ron Gonzalez has indicated support for a rail connection to Union City but, even this, would be a Caltrain-type operation in the interim.
The cost of the 8.3-mile extension to SFO and Millbrae is reaching $1.5 billion. How can the proponents give an estimate of the same amount for an elevated structure over Highway 101 for twice the mileage from Millbrae to Menlo Park? Sounds like back-of-the envelope figuring without considering the environmental issues that are sure to arise.
Yes, 70 percent of those polled when asked "would you like BART extended farther into San Mateo County will say "yes," but are they willing to pay for it? Marin and Sonoma Counties had two proposals on last November's ballot, one to establish rail commuter service over former Northwestern Pacific Railroad right-of-way between Healdsburg and San Rafael and the second to add a half-cent to the sales tax to pay for it. The first passed, but the second failed. That tells you "we want it but don't want to pay for it." Enough said!
We have a shorter and faster way to get to San Francisco and San Jose right now. It is called Caltrain. Caltrain's Rapid Rail program will significantly upgrade the railroad with continuously welded rail (smoother ride and reduced maintenance) reverse direction Centralized Traffic Control (not present on BART) and future plans to electrify the system. The latter will cut running times by up to 15 minutes and allow for more frequent trains.
One of the basic reasons BART was taken out of the original plans in San Mateo County back in the 1960s was that the system would not permit express trains, something still true today. Today you can ride a limited stop express from Menlo Park to San Francisco in 40 minutes for the 29 miles. Yes, you end at 4th and King and it is another 10 minutes by bus or "N" street car to Market Street. BART, however, indicates 44 minutes from Millbrae or SFO to Embarcadero and Market. Add 20 minutes and you have 64 minutes from Menlo Park making all stops it meanders through Daly City and the Mission District. In my 40 years of daily commuting, first on Southern Pacific, and then Caltrain, I walked in dry weather and it was 22 minutes to my office at California and Market Street.
The City of San Francisco now wants Caltrain extended to the TransBay Terminal, an idea long fostered by advocates and commuters but nixed by Mayor Brown who has now done an about-face and supports the extension which, by the way, allows a better entrance for future high speed rail.
A distortion of facts by the proponents of the BART extension indicates that Caltrain is more of a "local" service. This is not true as ridership figures show 51 percent of the passengers are destined to or from San Francisco. Local ridership has risen, true, and with reverse direction peak trains this has happened. The average length of ride, however, is over 20 miles, not a local trip. San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Jose and Mountain View are the four top ridership stations which tells you that San Mateo County residents are riding out of their county.
Let's complete our present programs with the money on hand or promised:
BART to SFO, Caltrain Rapid Rail improvements, and, most important of all, Caltrain electrification.
Arthur Lloyd is a member of the SamTrans Board, the Almanac's Panel of Contributors and resident of Portola Valley.
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