(rshsdepot) Sacremento, CA

["James Dent" <james.dent_@_itochu.com>]

-From the Sacramento Bee...

City hopes to get on track with compromise plan for depot
Mike Mccarthy
A new "compromise" plan is beginning to emerge in the debate over how to
design an intermodal transit station at Sacramento's downtown railyard.

City officials and consultants this week issued a more detailed version of
an idea they first suggested at a March 27 City Council meeting.

The idea calls for all the existing tracks to be moved north to near the old
railroad shops -- about 200 yards from the existing track layout. The old
depot would remain the center of passenger activity by keeping the
ticketing, passenger amenities and transit offices there.

"It's the right idea," said City Councilman Steve Cohn, who, along with
Mayor Heather Fargo, is taking the lead in talks between factions. "I feel
very strongly it's the way we're going to accomplish all three objectives.
It works for transportation. It preserves the old depot's principal
functions. And it is a tremendous opportunity for economic development."

Planning for a new station downtown has been tougher than many expected.
Community activists who want the depot to remain the focus of passenger
activity are fighting a proposal by transit providers that reduces the old
depot's role.

Until now, there have been two plans under consideration:


One plan is proposed by a coalition of transportation interests including
Union Pacific Railroad Co., which owns the property, and Amtrak, which uses
the depot. The group, called the Sacramento Intermodal Transportation
Alliance (SITA), proposes moving the tracks north, very close to the
consultants' recommended site. The depot's passenger activity would shift to
a new facility near the tracks and the historic building would probably be
used for bus passengers and as an entryway to the new train station.


Preservationists, called Save Our Rail Depot (SORD), propose moving the
freight tracks to the shops area where SITA wants them, but leaving the
passenger tracks close to the old depot. The old depot would become the
center of a new complex catering to passengers.

Both sides have detailed arguments. Basically, however, SITA says its plan
is more efficient for rail users, while SORD says its design ensures that
the depot will be preserved by keeping it the center of activity near
downtown.

The emerging city plan leans toward the SITA concept, yet makes a strong
gesture toward keeping the depot as a passenger center. "It's the best
compromise we can come up with," Cohn said.

He expects the plan to be the centerpiece of talks between SORD and SITA
that could begin within a week. "I don't want to overstate that there's a
settlement yet," Cohn said. "There's a potential for settlement."

Fargo hasn't made up her mind yet. "The mayor has looked at the plan and
wants to discuss it," said Chuck Dalldorf, her spokesman. "She doesn't want
to decide till she meets with the representatives. From her standpoint, it's
still open at this point."

"It's a good starting point," said Roy Brewer, an attorney working for Union
Pacific. "I think we need to determine and decide how many passenger-related
functions can remain in the depot."

One sticking point could be baggage handling, which needs to be near the
tracks, he said.

"I say nix on it," said Kay Knepprath, SORD's spokeswoman.

The compromise plan not only ignores the depot's potential but puts the
rails farther from the thousands of workers in the central business
district, making the future station even less feasible, she said.

"All the action would be out by the platforms on the tracks," she said. "If
you travel by train, that's where you'd go and you'd never have to go near
the depot."

The city consultants' plan also calls for the depot to be remodeled as the
gateway to the intermodal area. It calls for 33 acres next to the station to
be developed similarly to Union Pacific's idea for the land. The city plan
calls for 1.77 million square feet of offices, 610 apartments and a 300-room
inn.

The plan also extends the downtown street "grid" into the railyard, with 5th
Street going into the intermodal station to allow access by buses and
automobiles. City consultants have noted that one problem with SORD's idea
is that if the tracks are not all moved, one or more streets must be
tunneled under the tracks to get traffic into the station area. That is an
expensive proposition that moving the tracks would negate.

Perhaps the plan should be seen as a "catalyst" for talks, rather than as a
proposal carved in stone, said Paul Blumberg, a planner with the city's
Economic Development Department.

The depot may not be able to keep all of the ticketing functions, Blumberg
noted. Increasingly, train stations are selling tickets on the Web or from
machines. "Our consultants say that in the future, a lot of riders may not
buy tickets at stations," he said.

Fargo aims to hold a first meeting among the interested parties within the
next week, Dalldorf said.

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