Amtrak Capitol Corridor (California) Thread

[Jersey_Mike]

Trivia question: is this the only flying junction in the U. S. west of Chicago 68th St. (?) on the formerly IC Metra Electric?

No, there's a flying junction between the Orange and Green line trains on the CTA about a mile west of the Metra Electric, at 18th and State. Longitudinally, we're talking about a mile west of the 63rd street junction.

Also, not sure if this counts, but at a place where the UP main and UP's ex-CNW mains meet, there's a flyover to effect the change to left-hand running as CNW preferred. It's not really a junction as there's no diverging route.

Transit doesn't count and flyovers don't count either.

[ExCon90]

Woodcrest, be sure to check Jersey Mike's link -- it's exactly what you're going to be seeing.

[timz]

at a place where the UP main and UP's ex-CNW mains meet, there's a flyover to effect the change to left-hand running

Where?

Redondo Jct looks like a legitimate flyover http://binged.it/WZNv9C

[David Benton]

There is alot of interesting graffiti ( or street art as my sightseer companion called it ) , south of jack london square . possibly you could take Caltrain to San Jose , and pick the Capitol corridor up there .

[Jersey_Mike]

at a place where the UP main and UP's ex-CNW mains meet, there's a flyover to effect the change to left-hand running

Where?

Redondo Jct looks like a legitimate flyover http://binged.it/WZNv9C

It is a flyover, but not a flying junction as the latter eliminates conflicting diverging movements on and off the other line. The Redondo flyover dumps into a large 4-track flat interlocking. If it split to either side of the flown over tracks then it would be a flying junction.

[Tadman]

Timz, I believe the flyover I mentioned is somewhere on the overland route towards Omaha but I can't recall the exact location.

If transit doesn't count, then I'm out of my depth. Flying junctions and such infrastructure isn't my specialty. Although we may want to defer to ExCon as to whether transit counts, it's his trivia game. Either way, I wave the white flag on this one.

[ExCon90]

Oh, transit does indeed count -- I just wasn't thinking of it in that context when I posed the question; I meant on railroads because flying junctions on railroads tend to be rather scarce in the U. S.

[ExCon90]

There is alot of interesting graffiti ( or street art as my sightseer companion called it ) , south of jack london square . possibly you could take Caltrain to San Jose , and pick the Capitol corridor up there .

Well worth doing, and not for the graffiti, but it merits a separate day -- otherwise it would take too much time away from Sacramento.

[David Benton]

If you do end up staying in Sacremento , the Sacremento Youth hostel has a stunning historic interior , is clean and quiet , providing there are no school groups . walkable form the station .

[njtmnrrbuff]

Richmond, in general, has a lot of crime. The station isn't in the best area, and I wouldn't be there along at night. The Amtrak station is a center island platform and photography isn't that glamorous there.

[lpetrich]

Not The High Speed Rail, But Another Step In Local Train Service - Central Coast News KION/KCBA (Jun 13)

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, in collaboration with TAMC, received approval of an amendment shifting $18.1 million to make track improvements that will allow Salinas-bound and other trains to make a stop at the Gilroy station. Currently, trains that stop in Gilroy cannot continue further south, because there is no southern connection to the coast rail main line.

TAMC = Transportation Agency for Monterey County

If all goes well, service could start by 2018.

Salinas to San Jose commuter rail service may be a possibility by 2017 - Santa Cruz Sentinel (Feb 27)

On Wednesday, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County unanimously approved principles of agreement with the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority to establish a rail service extension south from Santa Clara County by 2017.

CAPITOL CORRIDOR JOINT POWERS BOARD - Agenda_Item_5_A1.pdf (2010)

New Capitol-Corridor stations: Tamien, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Watsonville, Castroville, Salinas

This extension will add 67 mi to the existing Capitol-Corridor 170 mi.

[Jeff Smith]

Incident December last: Sacramento Bee

Amazing it did not derail...

Fair-use:

Amtrak train sped nearly twice the limit when it jerked violently on Capitol Corridor

An Amtrak engineer mistakenly drove a Capitol Corridor train at nearly twice the allowed speed through a track switch near Davis in December, causing the train to jerk violently, injuring five occupants, according to documents obtained by The Sacramento Bee through the federal Freedom of Information Act.
...
The Amtrak reports obtained by The Bee reveal the engineer took the train at 78 miles per hour into a track switch that had a 40 mph speed limit. Train crew members, in written statements, described a dramatic few seconds aboard the #527 train as cars jolted one way then the other, tossing passengers, bags and coffees around.
...
According to the incident report, the train passed a track signal indicating that the switch ahead was open and that the adjacent track was clear. “This signal requires the train to proceed on diverging route not exceeding prescribed speed through turnout. The maximum authorized speed through the turnout is 40 mph. Train 527 entered the diverging route at approximately 78 mph. The engineer was operating from the lead end of the move.”

Federal records show five people were injured – four passengers and one crew member. All injuries appeared to be minor. One woman suffered a broken thumb.
...
Although the train did not derail, Goldman said “the difference between a minor issue and a major calamity can be a matter of a fraction of an inch or a half of a mile per hour. These things are very dangerous. You can’t measure safety by saying we escaped, or the train arrived.”
...
...Similarly, UP officials told The Bee that they believe PTC would have averted the December Amtrak jolt near Davis because the computer would have taken control of the train when the engineer failed to slow it.
...

[lpetrich]

Someone on Robert Cruikshank's CA HSR blog, I think, posted a link to the Amtrak Capitol vision plan: CCJPA Vision Plan, What the Capitol Corridor Can Become

The overarching goal is a modern railroad built to international standards, electrified and capable of top speeds of 150 miles per hour. This could reduce travel times between Sacramento and Oakland to just over an hour, and between Oakland and San Jose to a half-hour. This plan also envisions a direct connection to BART in central Oakland, just minutes from San Francisco.

Volume 1 was done in 2014, and volume 2 in 2016. The plan lists a rather severe challenge: much of the Capitol Corridor's route is not very high above sea level, and also very close to San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. That makes it vulnerable to sea-level rise and storm surges. The trackage through Suisun Marsh is affected by subsidience, something that is already a maintenance problem.

Between San Jose and Fremont are two routes: the Coast Subdivision near the Bay, and the Warm Springs Subdivision more inland, both ex-SP. There is an east-west connection, the Niles Cutoff, between the two routes in Fremont, one that extends further eastward to Pleasanton, Livermore, Tracy, and Stockton. The Coast Subdivision continues further northward to the Oakland Coliseum, and from the Warm Springs Subdivision, the Niles (ex-SP) and the Oakland (ex-WP) Subdivisions continue more inland to that stadium. The ex-WP route from Milpitas to San Jose is now abandoned, and BART is being built on it.

The Capitol Corridor trains currently do Coast - Niles Cutoff - Niles, but it could be rerouted all Coast, Warm Springs - Niles, or Coast - Niles Cutoff - Oakland.

In downtown Oakland, they considered grade-separating the route through Jack London Square, and also bypassing JLS a bit to the north along 5th St., and also a tunnel from east of JLS to near Emeryville. The second option would include a station shared with BART at West Oakland, and the third one a station near BART's 19th St. station. The third one would also be very expensive for only 3.5 mi of route.

Oakland to Richmond is very cramped, with no good alternatives to the existing right of way.

Between Richmond and Suisun City / Fairfield, they considered several routes. They dropped a route through Vallejo and another one along I-80, leaving the existing route and a route in Franklin Canyon. The existing route would be straightened as much as is feasible, raised, and expanded for additional tracks. The Franklin Canyon route would follow a BNSF route and then enter and exit State Route 4 with tunnels, ending up at Martinez. These two alternatives both cross the Carquinez Strait, and an additional bridge would be constructed for it, high enough to let ships pass under it unobstructed. The existing bridge has a center span that is raised for passing ships, causing scheduling problems.

Between Suisun and Sacramento is some straight track on flatland, but coexistence with freight traffic is a barrier to service increase. The authors propose rebuilding the now-abandoned Sacramento Northern right of way and adding a bridge just east of Suisun Bay that would connect with the Tracy Subdivision.

[lpetrich]

The second of the documents lists some phases of construction.

1. Ready to go except for funding: Sacramento - Roseville 3rd track
2. San Jose - Oakland improvements: $3.78 billion
3. Oakland - Richmond improvements: $1.85 billion
4. Jack London Square improvements: $1.2 billion
5. Richmond - Sacramento improvements: $9.0 billion
6. Sacramento - Auburn improvements, electrification: ?

[jamesinclair]

Somewhat related: San Joaquin Valley Rail Commission is looking to start a 3rd daily Fresno-Sacramento train in January. It would be the 8th daily San Joaquin, with the other 5 going to Oakland.

ACE would also be extended to Merced (or was it Modesto?) next year, offering further connections in the area.