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<br />(PAGE 147) <br />Replace Map with Figure 3.2.3-Potential Transit Projects Map <br /> <br />A) Caltrain and High-Speed Rail <br /> <br />The railroad on which Caltrain service is currently provided has connected Redwood City to the <br />greater Bay Area for nearly 150 years. Several important changes which will have dramatic <br />impacts on Downtown Redwood City are coming to this corridor. First, the Peninsula Corridor <br />Joint Powers Authority Board which operates Caltrain plans on is electrifying the system. Second, <br />a rail link with the East Bay may be created which enters the Peninsula via the Dumbarton Bridge, <br />and which makes its first San Mateo County stop in Downtown Redwood City. Finally, and most <br />significantly, the California High Speed Rail Authority plans to run the Bay Area leg of the <br />statewide bullet train system through Redwood City on the Caltrain alignment. <br /> <br />Railroad Grade Separation <br />The addition of High Speed Rail (HSR) to the Caltrain corridor will The adopted Caltrain Business <br />Plan for moderate and high-growth scenarios requires the addition of two tracks, for a total of four <br />through the entire length of the corridor at the Transit Center Downtown Caltrain Station. The <br />wider station footprint will require that the Transit Center be shifted to the north, at the Perry Street <br />parking lot, and that the tracks be separated from the crossing roadways where there are four <br />sets of tracks. Also, due to safety and operational needs, it is forbidden for the HSR system to <br />have any at-grade crossings with streets. Streets must either travel under or over the railroad, or <br />else dead end at it. Caltrain and the City are evaluating a grade separation plan for the six streets <br />that intersect with the train tracks. The rail portion will be elevated and the crossing street will go <br />under the tracks. The City and Caltrain are working with the community to establish a plan that <br />prioritizes connectivity and compatibility. It is of critical importance that the method of grade <br />separation be handled as skillfully as possible. Specifically, connectivity and compatibility are <br />paramount. The wrong form of grade separation can be not only unsightly and noisy, but can <br />harm community connectivity by severely restricting access across the corridor. Due to the <br />Page 18 of 45