FAQs

Since 2017, 34 options have been considered. The City has undertaken an extensive citywide engagement effort to establish a broad awareness of the need and issues associated with constructing rail grade separations along the Caltrain corridor. This has generated roughly 34 discrete ideas for grade separations. The 34 options for grade separations are a result of that process. The list has been narrowed down to 8 options as of May 2019. For more on the alternatives, go here.

At the April 22, 2019 meeting, City Council moved the date for a decision on a preferred alternative from April 2019 to October 2019. The Council has narrowed the 34 options to 8. Council continues to thoroughly evaluate the 8 remaining alternatives. XCAP is providing feedback in this process and the remaining alternatives.

In September 2017, the City Council adopted the following criteria as guidelines in selecting a preferred solution (a preferred alternative for each crossing): East-West connectivity – facilitate movement across the corridor for all modes of transportation; traffic congestion – reduce delay and congestion for automobile traffic at rail crossings; pedestrian / bicycle circulation – provide clear and safe routes for pedestrians and bicyclists seeking to cross the rail corridor, separate from automobile traffic; rail operations – support continued rail operations and Caltrain service improvements; and, cost – finance the project with feasible funding sources. Additionally, the following criteria are also important: environmental impacts – reduce rail noise and vibration along the corridor; visual impacts – minimize visual changes along the rail corridor; local access – maintain or improve access to neighborhoods, parks, schools and other destinations along the corridor while reducing regional traffic on neighborhood streets; cost – minimize right- of-way acquisition; construction – minimize disruption and the duration of construction.

The Comprehensive Plan states the following:

Palo Alto will build and maintain a sustainable network of safe, accessible and efficient transportation and parking solutions for all users and modes, while protecting and enhancing the quality of life in Palo Alto. Programs will include alternative and innovative transportation processes, and the adverse impacts of automobile traffic on the environment in general and residential streets in particular will be reduced. Streets will be safe, attractive and designed to enhance the quality and aesthetics of Palo Alto neighborhoods. Palo Alto recognizes the regional nature of its transportation system, and will be a leader in seeking regional transportation solutions, prioritizing Caltrain service improvements and railroad grade separations.

Beginning in 2009, the Palo Alto rail corridor has been a subject of considerable discussion and community focus in response to planned rail investments along the Caltrain rail corridor, specifically the California High Speed Rail project and the Caltrain Electrification Project. The 2013 Palo Alto Rail Corridor Study, 2014 Palo Alto Grade Separation and Trenching Study, and the 2030 Comprehensive Plan are the three essential planning studies that inform the present Rail Program planning effort, Connecting Palo Alto. The 2013 Palo Alto Rail Corridor Study, begun in November 2010 and adopted by City Council in January 2013, was initiated in response to California High Speed Rail and the Caltrain Electrification Project. The report focused on the rail corridor itself, circulation and connectivity, land use and urban design, and public facilities within a defined boundary on either side of the rail corridor traversing the entire city. A 17-member task force provided ongoing input and recommendations for consideration by City Council. The 2014 Palo Alto Grade Separation and Trenching Study was a conceptual engineering effort that provided preliminary information on the potential impacts and cost of construction for a range of roadway and railway submersion alternatives. The findings in the Palo Alto Grade Separation and Trenching Study were based on conceptual engineering documents prepared for community discussion. The engineering on both the trench and tunnel have since been updated with more existing conditions factored into the study. The alternatives page has the most recent trench and tunnel engineering info. When the 2030 Comprehensive Plan was adopted in November 2017, the following policy language was included: “Pursue grade separation of rail crossings along the rail corridor as a City priority” (Policy T-3.15). Additional policies and programs emphasize the desire to maintain access for automobiles, bicyclists, and pedestrians, address near-term safety and accessibility improvements, and call on the City to “Undertake studies and outreach necessary to advance grade separation of Caltrain to become a “shovel ready” project and strongly advocate for adequate State, regional and federal funding for design and construction of railroad grade separations” (Program T3.15.1).

The City’s goal is to minimize the need for property acquisition, per the City Council adopted criteria. The environmental and preliminary engineering phases of the project will identify any impacts and mitigation measures, including the need for any right-of-way to construct the project.

There are currently a number of uncertainties regarding the timing and configuration of High Speed Rail implementation. The current High Speed Rail business plan has the initial phase only extending as far north as San Jose, with future plans to extend north along the Peninsula. The project is coordinating with High Speed Rail. The grade separation alternatives include the flexibility to allow for the addition of High-Speed Rail without significantly affecting the proposed improvements.