Press Conference Announcement

HOLD FOR RELEASE UNTIL 10 A.M., May 4, 2010

California Rail Foundation

Planning and Conservation League
Transportation Solutions Defense and Education Fund
Peninsula Elected Officials

New High-Speed Rail Route Unveiled Today

Event: Press/Photo Opportunity at Burlingame High School [directions below]
Location: The location will provide visuals of tree-lined Caltrain Corridor.
Time: 10 A.M., Tuesday, May 4th

Burlingame, CA, 4 May, 2010 -- At a photo opportunity at the Burlingame High School,
three environmental organizations will unveil a report by their consultant team that
identifies a feasible high-speed rail route using the Altamont (I-580) Corridor. The report
is a direct challenge to the on-going rejection of that route by the California High-Speed
Rail Authority (CHSRA). The groups will be joined by several Peninsula Mayors.

The new alternative cuts the Caltrain miles shared by high-speed trains by at least two-
thirds, simultaneously speeding up the trains while reducing community impacts. Mayor
Pat Burt of Palo Alto said, “This new Altamont Alternative is really interesting. It looks
like it could connect the Bay Area to the Central Valley without the harmful impacts of
widening the Caltrain Corridor.” The plan would avoid neighborhoods on the Peninsula
and in the East Bay by using highway rights-of-way and several miles of tunnels. Mayor
Cathy Baylock of Burlingame added “This Alternative should be seriously studied by the
High-Speed Rail Authority. It could solve a lot of problems that high-speed rail might
cause our city.”

The three groups, the California Rail Foundation, the Transportation Solutions Defense
and Education Fund, and the Planning and Conservation League filed the report along
with the rest of their comments on the CHSRA‘s Revised Draft Environmental Impact
Report. The Authority’s previous EIR had been thrown out by the Court as the result of a
challenge by the three groups, the Town of Atherton and the City of Menlo Park.

The Setec Ferroviaire consultant team, with long experience designing and managing
construction of high-speed rail lines in France, found that “The Altamont route will
provide an improved rail corridor between the northern San Joaquin Valley and the Bay
Area to support passenger service between the Bay Area, the Tri-Valley area, and the
Northern San Joaquin Valley. In addition, this route will offer a travel alternative that is
competitive with the travel costs and time of auto, intercity bus and regional air modes.
… For the operation of a high-speed rail service, the route through Altamont has many
more advantages than the Pacheco plan.”
Expert evidence of feasibility will be crucial in preventing the Authority from again
rejecting the Altamont Route. Environmentalists prefer the Altamont Route because it:

• Avoids the Grasslands Ecological Area, California’s largest fresh water wetlands
complex;
• Avoids inducing new sprawl in Santa Clara and Merced Counties;
• Provides attractive rail service linking the Bay Area, Stockton, and Sacramento,
with most trips less than an hour;
• Addresses highway congestion on Interstates 80, 880, 580, and 680;
• Adds mobility between the Bay Area and the northern San Joaquin Valley;
• Generates much higher ridership than the Pacheco Route, because it serves the
East Bay and the northern San Joaquin Valley, with 2 million more residents within
10 miles of stations.

About the non-profit groups:

CALIFORNIA RAIL FOUNDATION, based in Sacramento, works to educate the public

on rail and bus technology and promote cost-effective expansion of the state's public
transportation services.

Transportation Solutions Defense and Education Fund, TRANSDEF, is headquartered in

the Bay Area and advocates for effective regional planning, smart growth, improved
transit service, and cleaner air.

PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE, headquartered in Sacramento, works

within the political and legal systems to enact and implement policies that protect and
restore the California environment.

Contact:
David Schonbrunn, President
Transportation Solutions Defense and Education Fund (TRANSDEF)
P.O. Box 151439
San Rafael, CA 94915
415-370-7250 cell & office
David@Schonbrunn.org
www.transdef.org

Rich Tolmach, President

California Rail Foundation
1730 13th Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
916-388-4658 cell
rft@calrailfoundation.org
CalRailFoundation.org

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Directions to Burlingame High School: The High School is a block north of the
Caltrain Burlingame Station, on the east side of the tracks. If you are driving,
take the Burlingame Broadway exit from Highway 101, turn west (away from the
Bay), and then turn left at the light at Carolan Ave. The High School will be on
the left, past Oak Grove Avenue. We will gather on the sidewalk, in front of the
school’s main doors.