Peak Hour Rail Service Update

SBCAG STAFF REPORT SUBJECT: Peak Hour Rail Service Update MEETING DATE: May 17, 2018 AGENDA ITEM: 6 STAFF CONTACT: Scott Spaulding RECOMMENDATION: Receive update on Pacific Surfliner Peak Hour rail service and Cap & Trade Transit Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) awards. DISCUSSION: After over four years of active planning and negotiation, the Pacific Surfliner schedule has been revised to serve the commute-hour market between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The new train service started operating on April 2, 2018 and SBCAG Traffic Solutions staff was on site at the Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura and Carpinteria train stations to act as ambassadors for the new service, greet customers, and answer questions the mornings of April 2-4, 16-18, and 23-25. The first week of service on the morning train proved to be challenging, with a combination of dispatching errors, locomotive and cab car mechanical problems, and train congestion that resulted in late arrivals to the Santa Barbara and Goleta stations. In the first four weeks of service, ridership has continued to exceed expectations, with the LOSSAN JPA reporting an average of approximately 146 passengers on morning train 759 the week of April 23-27 and 131 passengers the week of April 30-May 4. SBCAG and our regional and state partners had projected an average of 100-200 riders by the end of the first year of service. On-time performance (OTP) for the two peak hour Surfliner rail trips, but particularly for the morning train, is critical to the success of the service. With operational experience and modifications to dispatching procedures, train 759’s OTP has improved to 89% over the last three weeks of service. The table below shows train 759’s OTP for the April 9-May 10 period. April 9 10 11 12 13 16 17 18 19 20 23 24 25 26 27 30 1 2 3 4 7 8 9 10 CPN SBA GTA Green: arrived within 10 minutes of the scheduled time; Red: arrived more than 15 minutes late Marketing and Outreach Throughout April, the Traffic Solutions division of SBCAG worked directly with customers and local employers as part of a comprehensive marketing and outreach effort to promote the new Pacific Surfliner service. In response to a broad advertising campaign conducted in March, targeted employer outreach, a well-attended employer breakfast, and a number of media stories on the new commute-hour service, Traffic Solutions received over 1,500 requests for free 10- Ride passes to try the service. All customers requesting a free pass are required to complete a comprehensive online form that gathers information about the customer’s commute, work schedule, employer, and other information. Prior to the launch of the new service on April 2, 421 passes were distributed to customers via email, including information about parking at the Ventura County stations, connecting transit service, and how to use the pass using the Amtrak phone application. A second group of 443 commuters was sent passes for use beginning April 16th and a third group of 413 customers was sent passes for use the week beginning April 23. As of May 1st, 306 additional customers have requested a trial pass that will be sent out to a fourth group of commuters in late May. Earn a Folding Bike and Bike Lockers Surveys collected from prospective customers revealed that over a thousand potential passengers have a desire to combine their train commute with a bike, by either bringing their bike onboard, enrolling in the folding bike program or leasing a bike locker at one or more train station. Pacific Surfliner trains operating in this corridor are only equipped to carry seven standard sized bikes per train. To respond to the high demand for customers who seek to bring a bike on board the train to facilitate their last mile commute, SBCAG launched an “Earn a Folding Bike” program. Folding bikes have the advantage of being treated as a piece of luggage and do not require a reservation on a specific train. SBBIKE has agreed to administer the folding bike program, and has issued 35 folding bikes to train commuters since the start of the program. SBBIKE has the potential to issue another 15-20 folding bikes in May. Train commuters that do not have a folding bike and do not want to reserve an onboard space for their standard bike can reserve a bike locker at the Santa Barbara, Carpinteria or Goleta station. Staff expects additional bike lockers to be installed by the end of May that will be administered by SBBIKE. SBCAG staff will monitor the bike locker use to determine if there is a need for additional bike lockers at those station locations. Cap and Trade/SB1 Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) Grant Awards On April 26, the California Department of Transportation (CalSTA) announced grant awards under the 2018 TIRCP program. The five-year grant program offered $2.4 billion in funding and the state received 46 applications with a total funding request of $10.9 billion. SBCAG submitted TIRCP applications for two projects. The first project proposes to expand Coastal Express bus service in support of the new peak hour Pacific Surfliner train service including: • Dedicated express bus service that would “bracket” the current single rail trip. • Five battery-powered coaches ($9.6 million) • Construction/improvements to a regional maintenance facility • Upgrades to a storage facility in Ventura to allow for overnight charging The second project includes constructing a train station and expanding parking on a parcel purchased by the City adjacent to the current Goleta station ($13 million). This application was submitted in partnership with the City of Goleta. Both SBCAG projects were awarded full funding. Of the three applications submitted by LOSSAN, one requested $197 million for improvements north of Los Angeles and the agency was awarded $148 million for eight major projects (see project descriptions and cost estimates in the attachment). Metrolink also submitted a TIRCP application and was awarded $764 million for rail improvements that included projects in Ventura County that will result in increased capacity, greater reliability, and faster travel times for Pacific Surfliner service. One notable component of the Metrolink award was $396 million to construct “run through” tracks at LA Union Station, which will reduce travel time for through trips by an estimated 15-20 minutes. Staff is planning to provide additional details about the TIRCP awards as well as a visual overview of some of the project locations at the board meeting. Attachments: A. TIRCP Award Project Descriptions ATTACHMENT A Building UP: LOSSAN North Improvement Program Project Costs and Funding The total cost of Building UP is $201.669 million, of which $196.640 million is being requested (Table 1) through the 2018 TIRCP. This request represents 97.5 percent of the overall cost, with the majority of matching funds provided either locally or from other state or federal transportation sources. TABLE 1 BUILDING UP 2018 TIRCP PROJECT LIST TIRCP Implementing Match Project Title Description Phase Project Cost Request Match Agency County source Miles Acquire two additional slots Union Pacific for Pacific Surfliner service Capitalized Track between Los Angeles and Access and Santa Barbara/San Luis Performance Obispo + performance Incentive incentive Other $42,839,191 $42,839,191 $0 LOSSAN N/A NA Construct pedestrian Camarillo Station undercrossing and other Improvements station improvements CON $7,800,000 $6,890,000 $910,000 Camarillo Ventura TDA Siding extension to allow operational flexibility Leesdale Siding $800k between Oxnard and SRA + Camarillo CON $26,169,596 $24,527,346 $1,642,250 UP Ventura future SRA 6.2 Reconstruct siding to increase passenger and Ortega Siding freight capacity on 17-mile Santa stretch of single track CON $26,000,000 $25,375,000 $625,000 UP Barbara future SRA 1 Construct second track Carpinteria Station and platform at Carpinteria Double Track Santa station CON $31,938,075 $30,346,575 $1,591,500 UP Barbara future SRA 0.4 Goleta Layover Expand Goleta storage Facility facility to allow two sets to Santa Improvements layover CON $10,121,863 $9,861,863 $260,000 Amtrak Barbara future SRA Upgrade 10 switches (at Upgrade Non- Santa five siding locations) from Powered Switches Barbara/ hand-thrown to powered) CON $26,800,000 $26,800,000 UP SLO NA Implement Island CTC at selected locations in Santa Island CTC Santa Barbara and San Luis Barbara/ Obispo counties CON $30,000,000 $30,000,000 UP SLO NA TOTAL $201,668,725 $196,639,975 $5,028,750 7.6 97.5% Building UP: LOSSAN North Improvement Program The individual components of Building UP program listed in priority order include: ● Union Pacific Capitalized Track Access and On‐Time Performance Incentive provides a capitalized track access fee payment to Union Pacific Railroad to allow two additional slots for Pacific Surfliner trains between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo (one additional roundtrip), as well as increased incentive payments for improved on‐ time performance on the 174‐mile stretch of the LOSSAN rail corridor used by Pacific Surfliner trains and dispatched by Union Pacific Railroad. ● Camarillo Station Improvements will construct a pedestrian undercrossing and other station improvements in Ventura County to improve passenger access and operational flexibility, and reduce travel time for the eight daily Pacific Surfliner and six weekday Metrolink trains currently serving the station, as well as accommodate future service growth. The project will be constructed by the City of Camarillo. ● Leesdale Siding will extend the current 700‐foot siding up to 3.3 miles to the west and 2.9 miles to the east to allow operational flexibility in Ventura County for both Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink trains, and to help accommodate future service growth.

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