CA: Caltrain layover facility in Salinas continues path to construction

The Transportation Agency for Monterey County continues to forge a path to extend passenger rail service via Caltrain past its southernmost point, currently in Gilroy, to Salinas.

“We are still coordinating with Union Pacific Railroad on the designs for the layover facility and track improvements between Salinas and Gilroy for this project,” said TAMC rail program planner Christina Watson.

The Monterey County Rail Extension project will bring Caltrain, a commuter rail line, from Santa Clara County to Monterey County.

Three phases comprise the Monterey County Rail Extension project.

Phase I, dubbed the Kick Start Project, focuses on improving the existing Salinas train station to accommodate new passenger rail service connecting Salinas to the San Francisco Bay Area, and making track improvements at Gilroy to allow through trains to stop at the Gilroy train station.

The Kick Start Project transformed the Salinas train station site into the Intermodal Transportation Center to accommodate new passenger rail service and completed it in January 2021 at a cost of about $11.2 million. The Intermodal Transportation Center at the corner of North Main and Market streets includes a new direct access point to downtown Salinas with the extension of Lincoln Avenue across Market Street, a five-bay bus transfer area, bike lanes and bike lockers, safe pedestrian crossings and sidewalks, and commuter parking.

The Kick Start Project also includes constructing the Caltrain layover facility at a cost of about $25 million and making track improvements to Gilroy to allow through trains to stop at the Gilroy train station at a cost of about $16 million.

The Phase I train layover facility to be built in Salinas for Caltrain personnel and equipment continues to makes its way through the process of becoming reality.

The Caltrain layover facility will be situated west of the Intermodal Transportation Center at the end of New Street less than a half-mile from the train station and will consist of a crew base building for operating personnel that includes lockers, restrooms, a shared office space, and other relevant facilities, but will not include sleeping quarters.

The layover facility would connect to the Coast Mainline, the Union Pacific Railroad tracks which are used by Union Pacific Railroad freight trains and by Amtrak’s Coast Starlight rail cars.

The plan to construct a train crew base building, storage shed, fencing and lighting, will also include a new platform that extends to the train station and which would be used by passengers boarding Caltrain.

“The city of Salinas has reviewed the layover facility design plans,” said Watson. “The building permit process is pending UPRR approval of the designs since the timing for the building permit is restricted in validity and needs to be done when we have a date for initiating construction.”

Watson added that the city of Gilroy has also reviewed the track connection design plans, as have the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, who owns the Gilroy station, and Caltrain.

“We recently submitted revised plans to UPRR for review and hope to schedule a site visit with them this spring,” said Watson.

The purpose of Union Pacific Railroad’s site visit is to review proposed improvements in the field to then obtain concurrence from Union Pacific Railroad on the proposed design so TAMC can then move onto the next design submittal milestone, which includes discussions with Union Pacific Railroad Real Estate division.

“Negotiations over property easements from UPRR are pending UPRR approval of the designs,” said Watson.

Union Pacific Railroad owns the Mainline Tracks — a corridor about 100 feet wide — and needs to approve the designs and construction of any project that affects those tracks and any proposed operation of passenger trains on those tracks.

Once TAMC has feedback and approval from UPRR on the track plans, TAMC will incorporate any changes into the Plans, Specifications and Estimates – the design plans – and all other relevant documents.

“Design plan revisions to date have incorporated prior comments from UPRR as well as all other stakeholders,” said Watson.

Hurdles remain before construction of the Caltrain layover facility in Salinas can begin, including the UPRR design review, utility relocations, UPRR Real Estate negotiations, negotiations for a track construction and maintenance agreement and for a passenger rail operating agreement with UPRR and an operating agreement with Caltrain.

The operating agreement would be between Caltrain, Caltrans, Union Pacific Railroad and the Transportation Agency for Monterey County.

Watson said that contingent on all remaining hurdles being overcome, the current design schedule has the Caltrain layover facility project going out to bid for construction in the fall or winter of 2026 with construction completed in 2028.

The three phases of the Monterey County Rail Extension project have a total cost of about $81.5 million.

The Transportation Agency for Monterey County’s Monterey County Rail Extension project would provide an alternative to traveling Highway 101 and access to San Jose and San Francisco while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting economic development, among other outcomes.

The project has already revitalized the downtown Salinas train station into the Intermodal Transportation Center and is working to create new multimodal transportation hubs for the disadvantaged communities of Pajaro and Castroville.

Phase II is the Pajaro/Watsonville Multimodal Transit Hub which is proposed for the unincorporated community of Pajaro.

It will be the connection point for Santa Cruz County to new passenger rail service on the Coast mainline tracks between Salinas and the San Francisco Bay Area.

In April 2023, TAMC was awarded a $2.274 million grant by the state for the project.

Phase III is the Castroville Mulitmodal Station which will be in the southeastern part of Monterey County in the unincorporated community of Castroville.

It will be the connection point for passengers coming from the Monterey Peninsula to new passenger rail service on the Coast mainline tracks between Salinas and the San Francisco Bay Area.

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