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Dumbarton Rail Corridor Project (DRCP) 
DCRP is on indefinite hold as of 28 May 2014.


Webpage Is being Brought to a Close

4 June 2014 - The webpage for the Dumbarton Rail Corridor Project is being closed. It will remain available for review but as of 28 May 2014 the DRC is on indefinite hold. The allocation of funds to the DRC from both the Regional Measure 2 of 2004 and the Alameda County Measure B of 2000 has been re-distributed to other transportation projects and the DRC no longer has a presence as an active project by the MTC or the ACTC. More discussion can be found in the most current posting below.

This webpage has been reconfigured to add a broad array of background information so that interested citizens, in particular of Fremont, can explore the range of information available about the Dumbarton Rail Corridor Project (DRCP).  The types of information being made available are considered useful as one prepares to review and comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) that was slated for publication in late spring 2012. Some of the documents are also available on the “official” DRCP webpage (internet link provided separately) but many others are not.

 A whitepaper has been prepared to provide a general overview of the DRCP with special emphasis on its potential impacts to Fremont especially the Niles and Centerville Districts. Visitors to the site are encouraged to read the whitepaper as an initial step. The documents available (See Detailed Notes) to the webpage visitor include the following:

•             DRCP Policy Advisory Committee - Copies of agendas, official meeting minutes, presentation materials, and the unofficial notes prepared by Mike Dubinsky. These are organized chronologically.

•             DRCP Citizen Advisory Panel – Copies of agendas, Official meeting minutes, presentation materials and the unofficial notes prepared by Mike Dubinsky.   These are organized chronologically.

•             Key Background Documents & Materials- Contains most of the key documents you may wish to access.

•             Fremont and other Letters. – Letters issued by the City of Fremont and some others relating to the DRCP and the Union City Intermodal Station project.

 Associated Projects

 There are other rail related projects to which the Dumbarton Rail project is linked.  They are: Bay area Regional Rail Plan; Altamont Corridor Project; Capitol Corridor Project (Please see the separate page on this project on Unity), Union City Intermodal Station (separate page on Unity) and High Speed Rail.  It is sufficient to say that overall the City of Fremont and Niles in particular are potentially impacted by this large scale, complex set of rail related initiatives.

Points of Contact in Fremont:

Two Fremont Citizens (Mike Dubinsky & Tim Pitsker) were appointed to serve as advisors to the Mayor of Fremont and have been attending the Citizen's Advisory Panel meetings for the DRCP since 2007. Councilperson Raj Salwan is currently the City Council liaison to the Dumbarton Policy Advisory Committee.

 Discussion Forum

You will also find a separate discussion forum available on this page for questions, discussion , comments related to the DRCP. You are requested to utilize the Forum in a responsible and community minded manner.  The Forum will require that you log in.

 Best regards

Mike Dubinsky, 494-9181, foxrun9@comcast.net

Special Thanks to the Niles Community Unity for assisting and supporting this webpage and thereby providing a resource of information about the DRCP as well as a forum for exchange of points of view.

Latest News
DRC PLaced on Indefinite Hold by MTC Commissioners - Funding Shifted to Other Projects
During a May 28, 2014 meeting the Metropolitan Transportation Commission took a vote on whether to modify Regional Measure 2 as it relates to the Dumbarton Rail Corridor (DRC) funding allocation.
Continued »
 
MTC Schedules April 9 Public Hearing on re-directing Dumbarton Rail Corridor Regional Measure 2 Funding.
The Bay area Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has scheduled a public hearing before the Programming and Allocations Committee to discuss redirecting the funds allocated to the Dumbarton Rail Corridor (DRC) from the DRC to other transportation projects. This proposal seems to signal that any substantive political support for the DRC has evaporated and it is time to stop spending money on the project. It has only taken since 2005 for the message to sink in that the DRC is not a wise expenditure of taxpayer money.
Continued »

See More Articles

Links
Notice of Public Hearing- Proposed RM2 Changes

The re-direction of funds from the DRC to other projects is described (item # 4) in the documents supporting this public hearing.
 
The official site

The San Mateo County Transportation Authority WEB page  
 
Metropolitan Transportation Commissions Regional Rail Plan
-- mentions Dumbarton Rail in some detail  
 
Union City Intermodal Station
The DRC is integral to the long term success of the Union City Intermodal Station.  In reviewing the material associated with the UC Intermodal Station it is necessary to click on Archives and drill down to the Documents associated with the Final Environmental Inpact Report from February 2006.  Contained in the Archived materials are the letters and comments from Fremont City & Citizens raising their concerns about the impacts of the project as well as the responses.   Please note that there is a separate Topic established for the Intermodal Station since it was processed under a separate entity and has its own Environmental Impact Report.


Committees
  • The Dumbarton Policy Committee – Provides direction and some governance for the project.  Is composed of representatives from each of the funding entities and the jurisdictions through which the DRC passes.  The names and affiliations for the members is found on the Dumbarton Rail WEB page listed above.  For Fremont the representative is Mayor Bob Wasserman.
  • The Citizen’s Advisory Panel (CAP) – Provide community input and information, identifies public issues, makes recommendations for Panel review of public issues. The Cap is also supposed to act as a community liaison for the PAC. For Fremont the members of the CAP are:1)  Tim Pitsker, Montecito Drive and 2) Mike Dubinsky, Posada Way.  Fremont is looking for a third person to serve as an alternate CAP member.
  • Project Management Team – Composed of staff from SamTrans, MTC and consultants hired to develop the documentation necessary to move the project forward.
  • Technical Advisory Committee - Composed of expert technical staff from the cities and organizations which are involved with the DRC project. Fremont has a representative from its Transportation Department.

The Policy Committee meets every two-three months on the last Tuesday   Meetings usually last 2-3 hours and are open to the public

CAP Meetings are scheduled to occur the Wednesday before the Policy Committee meets.  CAP meetings last 2 hours and are open to the public.
 


Upcoming Committee Meetings
No events

Discussion
View All by Date View All by Date
General
 
Dumbarton Rail - A project looking for a reason?
 
I have been attending meetings on the Dumbarton Rail since late 2006. The project itself has been on the books since the early 1990's. A small number of rail aficionados have been promoting the project as a fix all for getting east bay and central valley employees to their workplaces in the more expensive peninsula communities. As a taxpayer I have held an abiding concern about the use of monies (Now upwards of $800M) to fund the Dumbarton Rail Corridor Project. Perhaps the following thoughts will generate initial comment /discussion on the DRCP as its draft EIS/EIR finally comes to the public for comment. Reviewing the Whitepaper provided on the webpage should be helpful in placing the thoughts in perspective.
Continued »
Posted – 04/30/10 2:22pm by Mike Dubinsky, updated or replied 02/20/12 10:26am
 
Impact on Niles
 
Impacts on the Niles Neighborhoods
 
The impacts on Niles include increased train traffic, significant change in the alignment of train traffic, noise, vibration, air pollution, traffic impacts at at-grade crossings to name a few.  For example according to the Project Study Report the number of trains that use the Oakland Subdivision trackage which runs behind the Hacienda Gardens and Rancho Arroyo neighborhoods would increase from approx 6 to 250 trains / week. These would all be passenger trains. For the Niles Subdivision trackage which runs close to Mission Blvd. and across Nursery Ave. the number of trains would decrease from 92 to 61 trains / week however they would all be freight.  While not specifically in Niles the Centerville trackage through central Fremont would increase from 118 to 257 trains / week.
Continued »
Posted – 02/08/08 11:38am by Mike Dubinsky, updated or replied 01/22/10 8:35am
 
Impact on Fremont
 
City Of Fremont's Review to Date
 
The Staff of the City of Fremont have been following the DRCP and the Union City Intermodal Station since at least 2003.  On six occasions they have written letters commenting on environmental concerns and direct impacts they see occurring based on the plans that have been proposed.  They have taken positions in opposition to elements of the plan which were not in conformance with Fremont's General plan and have successfully lobbied for elimination of certain aspects which adversely impact Fremont Residents or for mitigations to minimize adverse impacts on residents.  The six letters are published as Background Materials on this page. Fremont continues to monitor the evolution of the DRCP.
Continued »
Posted – 02/08/08 11:26am by Mike Dubinsky, updated or replied 02/08/08 3:28pm
 

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