Dumbarton rail depends on Regional Measure 2 Dumbarton rail depends on Regional Measure 2 (February 25, 2004)

By Marion Softky

Almanac Staff Writer

Commuter trains can be speeding across the Bay, carrying workers between Peninsula jobs and East-Bay homes in just six years -- if Bay Area voters approve Regional Measure 2 on Tuesday's ballot.

Providing modern commuter rail service across the old Dumbarton railroad bridge is a key feature of RM-2. By raising bridge tolls from $2 to $3 on seven Bay Area bridges (not the Golden Gate where drivers already pay $5), RM-2 would raise $125 million a year to fund transportation projects near bridges around the Bay.

The measure includes $135 million toward easing traffic congestion in one of the most gridlocked corridors in the region. The money would go for rebuilding the old railroad bridge and trestle, and building several new stations on both sides of the Bay.

"Dumbarton Rail could become a reality in 2010," said San Mateo County Supervisor Mike Nevin after a Monday press conference announcing completion of a major report on the project and formation of a Policy Advisory Committee to guide it.

"It's the first rail loop around the Bay. That's significant," Supervisor Nevin said. "It's in the near future. It's doable. It's exciting. And it's going to make a major

"If we get RM-2 passed."

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