HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-01-13 - AGENDA REPORTS - EXTENDING AMTRAK SERVICE (2)%W
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
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DATE: January 13, 1998
City Manager Approval:
Item to be presented by: I Ron Kilcoyne
SUBJECT: LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR EXTENDING AMTRAK SERVICE
THROUGH THE SANTA CLARITA VALLEY
DEPARTMENT: Transportation & Engineering Services
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City Council authorize the Mayor to send letters to the City's legislative representatives in
Sacramento seeking their assistance in establishing Amtrak service through the Santa Clarita Valley.
The City of Santa Clarita lacks adequate intercity rail transportation. Extending at least one Amtrak
train per day in each direction would be a small but significant step in erasing this service deficit.
The State Rail Plan includes a proposal to extend at least one round trip of the San Joaquin service
from Bakersfield to Los Angeles via the Antelope and Santa Clarita Valleys. For many years this
extension has appeared in the State Budget submitted by the Governor and approved by the
Legislature. Unfortunately, this proposal has not moved forward. The purpose of this letter is to
seek funding for the extension in the FY 1998/99 State Budget and to seek active pursuit of this
extension by Caltrans. Similar letters will be sent by the Cities of Palmdale and Lancaster and by
the North County Transportation Coalition.
No alternative actions identified by staff.
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None.
Draft Letter to Santa Clarita's State Legislative Delegation
'Amsl0agendMamtrak.98 ( Agenda te
DRAFT LETTER TO SANTA CLARITA'S
STATE LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION
Subject: Extension of Amtrak through the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita is seeking your assistance in securing the extension of at
leastoneSan Joaquin intercity passenger train in each direction from Bakersfield to
Los Angeles and San Diego. This would serve both the Santa Clarita Valley and the
Antelope Valley, providing intercity rail service both northward to the San Joaquin
Valley, Bay Area, and Sacramento, as well as southward to Los Angeles, Orange
County, and San Diego.
For many years this extension was funded in the State Budget. It is included in the
State Rail Plan as a desirable future extension. The main stumbling blocks to
implementation have been Southern Pacific's claim that there is no capacity for an
additional train through the Tehachapiis and Caltrans' apparent lack of will to
effectively deal with this challenge.
You can provide assistance in two ways. Please make sure funding for this extension
is included in the FY 1998/99 State budget. Second, persuade Caltrans that this
needs to be a high priority, and that their best negotiators come to terms with the
Union Pacific. Union Pacific, the new owner of the track, has a better record of
dealing with passenger train service than the Southern Pacific.
The improvement we are seeking can be implemented very quickly, once an
agreement with the Union Pacificcan be reached, for relatively low cost. It will, in
essence, combine an existing Bay Area to Bakersfield train with an existing Los
Angeles to San Diego train, creating a Bay Area to San Diego train. However, the
Antelope Valley and, Santa Clarita .Valley will be major beneficiaries of this
improvement. Both areas have little intercity public transportation available, and this
will be a step toward correcting this deficiency.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter. Please contact Michael Murphyat (805)
255-4384 for additional information or assistance.
Sincerely,
Janice H. Heidt
Mayor
cc: City Councilmembers
George A. Caravalho, City Manager
Michael Murphy, Intergovernmental Relations Officer