Modesto not asked about rail plan

Promises made, councilman says, but city left waiting at the station

By Garth Stapley
gstapley@modbee.com

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Modesto is being snubbed as transportation officials lay ambitious plans for electric trains linking the valley to the Bay Area, a city councilman says.

State leaders courted Stanislaus County votes when pushing a high-speed rail bond a year ago. And a map showing a possible metamorphosis for Altamont Commuter Express trains shows potential spurs to either downtown Modesto or the Amtrak station east of town.

But the consortium gathering public input scheduled no town hall meetings east of Stockton.

WANT TO BE HEARD?
- Altamont Corridor Rail Project public input meetings are scheduled Tuesday at Fremont Teen Center, 39770 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont; and Wednesday at Le Petit Trianon Theatre, 72 N. Fifth St., San Jose. Both run from 3 to 8 p.m.
- Comments must be mailed by Dec. 4 to Altamont Corridor Rail Project, 925 L St., Suite 1425, Sacramento, 95814 or e-mailed to comments@hsr.ca.gov.
PDF: Modesto rail input missing

"Is there a reason Modesto and Stanislaus County were excluded?" said Modesto Councilman Garrad Marsh in a letter to the Altamont Corridor Rail Project. Previous promises have been reduced to "only a 'possibility'," Marsh said.

"It will be hard to convince the people of Modesto that a link to the Bay Area was anything more than an afterthought," he said, unless sponsors reconsider and schedule a meeting in Modesto.

That's not likely. Meetings were held this week in Livermore and Stockton with the final two sessions scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, in Fremont and San Jose.

Supporters hope to replace diesel locomotives lumbering at no more than 79 mph with electric trains that could reach 150 mph. Trips from Stockton to San Jose taking two hours and 10 minutes could be shaved to as little as 55 minutes, sponsors say.

About 350 passengers from Stanislaus County catch ACE trains on weekdays at stops in Lathrop and Tracy.

The system could tie in neatly to even faster, 220-mph bullet trains speeding from San Francisco to Southern California. Voters statewide approved $9.9 billion in seed money last year, though the bond captured just 49 percent support in Stanislaus County.

Promotional literature for the current public sessions say, "The critical next step is you! We can't get this off the drawing board — or create a truly community-serving project — without active involvement of local residents."

But Modestans have to travel to make their voices heard in person. A press release on the sessions says, "Later, a branch out to Modesto may also be a possibility."

Bee staff writer Garth Stapley can be reached at gstapley@modbee.com or 578-2390.