City Council Opposes 2 More Tracks in San Bruno

The City Council told Caltrain last week that it is opposed to having more railroad tracks built in San Bruno.

As part of the city's , which is currently underway, the city laid out an option to have two new tracks added to the tracks that will already be in place in anticipation of high-speed rail.

But the Peninsula Corridor Joint Power Board recently decided to abandon plans to push a four-track system and adopt a "blended system" that would allow Caltrain and high-speed rail to operate on the Caltrain tracks using its current infrastructure. As a result, the council said the additional tracks in San Bruno would create an unnecessary burden.

"Due to this change of approach and the JPB's decision to complete the two-track construction for the San Bruno grade separation, the City of San Bruno expresses its strong opposition to any additional construction in the City after the grade separation project is complete, with the exception of electrification," Mayor Jim Ruane said in a letter (attached) to Caltrain's board. "Construction of a third track in San Bruno would unreasonably extend the disruption from construction in our community and subject San Bruno residents to a disproportionate burden in the name of regional transportation improvements."

The letter said the city still supports high-speed rail, but the hope is that if that plan ever comes to fruition, the construction's impact on the city would be minimal.

"I just wanted to let you know that we are vehemently opposed to any more construction after this gets done because our city is just getting torn up and we don't want to have to do it more than once," Ruane told a Caltrain spokesman at last week's council meeting.

Mark Simon, the Caltrain spokesman, said the agency will continue moving forward with the city's project as planned with the hope that nothing else needs to be changed.

"If high-speed rail was ready to add tracks and complete a four-track station, that's their project. That's their decision," Simon said. "They'll have to come to you and explain why they want to do it."

Patch contributor Robert Riechel helped with this story.

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