A proposed Capitol Corridor South Bay Connect Project includes adding a Ardenwood train station in Fremont and removing Hayward and Fremont Centerville train stations to save 13 minutes for Oakland commuters heading to San Jose. Spending $1 Billion to build a new passenger rail route on the coast from Oakland to Newark, phase 1, ignoring investment plans for housing, jobs and transit connections to the existing Hayward and Centerville stations along the current route.

 

 

The Project goal to reduce 13 minutes off your commute between Oakland and San Jose is proposed to be built in 2 phases. Spending $1 billion now for a new rail line from Oakland to Newark and another $3 billion for a new rail line into the wetlands from Newark to San Jose.  This totals $4 billion to save 13 minutes; a cost of $300 Million per minute. With South Bay Connect, do you want our tax dollars spending billions to build a new 17-mile railroad, a new station at an Ardenwood park and ride plus elimination of  the Hayward and Centerville stations for a 13 minute savings in train time?  

Not explained in the Project proposal is the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority 2016 Vision Implementation Plan to expand passenger and freight trains from Oakland to Fremont through the east bay.  This proposed plan adds over 50 freight trains daily, 3-miles long.

 

 

Refer to the 2016 Capitol Corridor Vision Implementation Plan Figure 2-Freight Mitigation for San Jose to Oakland Service Area  -https://www.capitolcorridor.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/CCVIP-Final-Report-Appendices-v2.pdf  

The 2016 Capitol Corridor Vision Implementation Plan focus is to remove Hayward and Fremont’s Centerville Capitol Corridor train stations and to create a freight train corridor in the most populated east bay communities. The South Bay Connect Project does not include any mention of the Vision plan in detail and safety measures are minimized for pedestrians and vehicles against lengthy, slow freight train traffic.

The project goal to reduce your commute time between Oakland and San Jose by 13 minutes would be built in 2 phases, spending $1 billion now for a new rail line from Oakland to Newark and another $3 billion for a new rail line into the Bay wetlands from Newark to San Jose. An expenditure total of $4 billion is planned, saving 13 minutes at a cost of $300 million per minute. Piecemealing project phases is a way to streamline the permitting process for the first project, the South Bay Connect, and thereby avoiding  a full evaluation of future phases under the California Environmental Quality Act and the the National Environmental Act.

SAY NO to a $1 billion passenger rail proposal to save 13 minutes and SAY NO to skipping train stops in Hayward and Centerville. 

Please provide comments and questions to Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority at info@southbayconnect.com by July 15, 5PM.  The South Bay Connect Draft Environmental Impact Report does not include sufficient passenger and freight train safety measures.

If you miss the Monday, July 15 deadline, the South Bay Connect Draft Environmental Impact Report https://www.southbayconnect.com/resources.html is anticipated to be final by November 2024. 

Your comments matter now and through November to stop this project!  Thank you for your time and consideration.