1. Light Rail Enhancement Project
Committees
January 2015

2. Presentation Outline 2017 Operating Plan
Long T
Southern Express
Other Potential Operating Changes
System Speed Improvements: Study and Design
North First Street Speed Improvements
Montague Grade Separation
Downtown San Jose Speed Improvements
Vasona Corridor Improvements
Chynoweth Siding
Today’s presentation will cover both operating plan for 2017 and capital projects for system speed improvements.

3. Recommended Operating Plan – 2010 Study
Recommended operating plan – main points of this operating plan
Expanded Southern Express Service
Direct service from the BART connection at Montague to the job Centers along tasman west (Champion, Old Ironsides, Lockheed, Levis Stadium, etc.)
Express service to Skip Low ridership stations along Tasman West line
All station would now have direct service to downtown San Jose (Almaden Line previously did not)
Disconnecting Mountain View Line from Winchester Line should improve service reliability
Vasona Line riders would lose direct trip to destinations north of Downtown San Jose, but should get a more reliable between Downtown San Jose and Winchester
Status: Currently under evaluation along with other service proposals

4. Tasman Express (Long T)
New Service from Mountain View to Alum Rock
Connects with BART Milpitas Station
Express between Mountain View and Old Ironsides in peak
Requires double tracking Mountain View
and pocket track near Great America
Current
The operations changes include the Tasman Exp. and the Southern Express. Tasman Express, aka the Long T, is a new direct service from MV to AR. The original recommendation is to open this service when BART phase 1 opens in late 2017.
Proposed

5. Southern Express Current Proposed
All-Day Express Service: Santa Teresa to Alum Rock
Local service from Almaden to Mountain View
Winchester Line loops through downtown and turns back
Current
Proposed
The Southern Express, aka Guadalupe Express, includes an express service from ST to AR, local service from Almaden to MV, and the Wincherster line turning back in DT. In October 2010 we implemented the commuter express, which is a modified version.
Non-stop Service

6. Ridership Projections and Cost Estimates
Long T Service
2015
2018
(BART Phase I)
2035
(BART Phase II)
Average Daily Ridership Increase
TBD
4,000
6,700
Additional annual operating hours (% increase from existing)
31,000 hours (21%)
Capital Cost Required
$60M (Mountain View Double Tracking and Santa Clara Pocket Track)
Southern Express
2015
2018
(BART Phase I)
2035
(BART Phase II)
Average Daily Ridership Increase
TBD
2,500
4,700
Additional annual operating hours (% increase from existing)
29,000 hours (20%)
Capital Cost Required
$0 ($10M Chynoweth Siding is an optional project)

7. Other Operating Concepts
Service Frequency changes (same service pattern)
Current Operations:
15 minute frequencies
Potential Changes:
12 minute frequencies
10 minute frequencies
Expand Existing Express Service
Current Operations:
Three Northbound and three southbound trips a day
Potential Changes:
Add more daily express trips
Skip stop operations on North First Street
Southern Express Alternatives
Current Plan:
All day express service between Ohlone-Chynoweth and Convention Center, Direct Almaden Service through Downtown San Jose, Vasona Downtown Turnback
Potential Changes:
Express service stops at Tamien then continues
Express Almaden Trains
No Express Service, All trains make all stops
Winchester Trains to Younger
Winchester Trains to Baypointe
Skip stop operations on North First Street
“Long T” Alternatives
Current Plan:
Peak Period – Express from Mountain View to Old Ironsides (stop at Lockheed) all stop east of Old Ironsides to Alum Rock
Off-peak – All stop Old Ironsides to Alum Rock
Potential Changes:
Different stops on express service
No express service
All day service express service
Short turn non-Long T line
These are some ideas. Next step is to test them to evaluate the benefits and costs. The goal to optimize a service plan that can deliver the greatest benefits in 2017.

8. Near Term Focus: Its All About Speed
VTA has established "increasing ridership" as one of its top five 2014 priorities
Land use density continues to intensify along the light rail corridors
VTA is becoming an urban light rail system where demand will increase along with traffic congestion levels along the light rail corridor
In the future light rail will play a greater role in meeting the changing needs of Santa Clara Valley
The system needs more flexibility to respond to different ridership demands
Timing is a critical component when it comes the the potential success of capital improvements
Compared to the 2010 Study, the near term focus is more “focused” – speed. Among many improvements we would like to see, speed is probably the most effective factor in attracting ridership.

9. Light Rail System Constraints
Future Transit Connections
Existing Transit Connections
Merge Points
At-grade Intersections
Single Track Segments
Downtown Transit Mall

10. System Speed Improvements
Draft List of Improvements – Pending VTA Budget Approval
Project
Station consolidation study
2017 Operating Plan
LRT Transit Signal Priority
LRT Speed Improvements
North First Street Speed Improvements
Montague Grade separation
Downtown San Jose Speed Improvements
Siding at Chynoweth
Vasona Corridor Improvements
LRT Signage Replacement
See additional handout.
Planning Work Only
Existing Capital Projects
New Capital Projects

11. Intersections on North First Street
North First Street Speed Improvements
Current maximum speed – 35 mph
Maximum Speed after improvements – 45 mph
Improvements include fencing and gates at select intersections
Required by CPUC General Order 143-B
Tasman Station and merge point
VTA will conduct an intersection-by-intersection analysis
Intersections on North First Street
Example of Gated and Fenced Light Rail Intersection
Expo Line Los Angeles

12. Montague Grade Separation
32% of all trains delayed
Average Delay of 44 seconds
High automobile traffic volumes
Delay (Sec/Veh)
PM LOS
Existing
94.4 F
2040
215.7
N. 1st
Montague
N. 1st and Montague
Montague Grade Separation
Example: Great Mall Parkway and Montague

13. Downtown San Jose – Phase 1
Downtown San Jose Transit Mall
Maximum Speed 10mph (slowest system wide, see string chart below)
Embedded track, hard to distinguish from sidewalk
Multiple intersections and junctions
Phase 1 – Near term improvements
Phase 2 – Will coincide with BART to Silicon Valley Phase II
Downtown San Jose

14. Downtown San Jose
Bollards or curbs can be used to create separation between tracks and sidewalk
Also looking at using new technology applications
Bollard Examples
Edmonton and Minnesota
Curb Alternatives Phoenix

15. Vasona Corridor Vasona Corridor Improvements
Vasona Corridor has two single tracked segments which contribute to delays systemwide
VTA tracks are adjacent to Freight Rail tracks throughout corridor
Platforms only allow for two-car trains (rest of the system can accommodate three-car trains)
Vasona Double Track
Freight Rail Tracks
VTA Tracks

16. Chynoweth Siding Chynoweth Siding
Would construct a siding at the Ohlone/Chynoweth Station (exact configuration TBD)
Would allow for greater flexibility with express/local operation in the future
VTA and Public owned ROW
Chynoweth Siding
Existing Track
Potential Track Construction