SAN LEANDRO — A $264 million plan to change rail service between Oakland and the South Bay to speed travel got a frosty reception from San Leandro officials, saying they see little benefit for the city.
Called South Bay Connect, the plan calls for shifting Capitol Corridor passenger trains from running on a section of their current Union Pacific line, which cuts through San Leandro, Fremont, Union City and Hayward, to another track farther west and close to San Francisco Bay.
If it goes forward, the project would mean the closure of the Hayward station, which some San Leandro residents use, and those riders would have to drive to Oakland or west Fremont to catch a train.
The proposal would not affect Union Pacific freight trains. Those would still go through the center of San Leandro, where they sometimes can stretch for blocks and occasionally stop at intersections, backing up traffic.
It can leave many frustrated, including City Councilman Fred Simon, who said it can be too much, citing traffic delays and the congestion caused by the freight trains.
“I don’t see the need, and I don’t support it,” Simon said about the proposed route changes Monday, when the council got an update on the project.
Residents may have a harder time accessing Amtrak if the Capitol Corridor line switches, Simon said.
Councilman Victor Aguilar Jr. agreed. “There is no benefit to the residents of San Leandro,” he said.
Councilman Pete Ballew questioned whether the council had the authority to derail the project. But Ballew also said, “We definitely have the power to litigate.”
The council took no formal action Monday.
No one on the council, however, supported the plan from the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, which oversees passenger service on the rail lines. About a half-dozen residents weighed in. All rejected the route change.
Within the area slated for the change are three rail lines that run north and south and two that run east and west, all owned by Union Pacific. They are used for freight and passenger travel of Capitol Corridor, the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) and the Amtrak Coast Starlight. The ACE train does not go through San Leandro.
The Capitol Corridor operates 14 trains daily on the route and Amtrak has two. The Union Pacific level of freight service varies
Under the plan, a station would be built near Highway 84 in the Ardenwood neighborhood of west Fremont. The Capitol Corridor would no longer use the current Fremont station in the Centerville neighborhood.
At the Ardenwood station, riders could transfer to transbay transportation, such as AC Transit, Stanford University shuttles and employee shuttle, which they currently can do at existing stations.
Simon called the project a waste of taxpayer money. The dollars could be used to help the homeless, he said.
“I think the council should give this a wide berth until the railway comes back with a better offer,” resident Stephen Michael Tow told the council.
Shirley Qian, a senior planner with the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority and manager of the project, told the council Monday the changes could shave about 13 minutes of travel time each way for a commuter between Oakland and Newark.
The Altamont Corridor Express would continue to stop at the existing Fremont station under the proposed changes.
The authority’s Ben Tripousis said the overall aim is to make it easier for more commuters to reach Sacramento, the Peninsula and the South Bay.
A draft California Environmental Quality Act should be available by next spring, Tripousis told the council.
The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Board, which includes representatives from BART, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and other agencies among the eight counties within the corridor, must approve the environmental report for the project to move forward.
Among those on record opposing the move are Hayward Mayor Barbara Halliday, citing the potential of environmental damage as trains travel closer to the bay and the loss of the Hayward train station near BART. Union City Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci has said said new homes are planned near her city’s BART station and that the loss of Capitol Corridor service would be a blow for future residents.
Former San Leandro Mayor Stephen Cassidy told the council that all trains passing through San Leandro are a hazard and that many people have died after being hit over the past several years.
The railway corridor stretches about 168 miles and carries passengers between San Jose and Auburn, with stops in places such as Oakland Emeryville, Davis and Sacramento along the way.