Another Option for East-West Rail Line
* There is a better, more cost-effective way to make east-west Valley rail a reality than either of the two plans currently under consideration (“Valley Rail Plans Called Feasible,” May 10).
How about an elevated line along the Chandler/Burbank route?
This would eliminate the tremendous expense of either tunneling across the Valley or widening the Ventura Freeway to make room for the line there. Also, commuters could park in lots laid on the existing rail bed, saving the cost of acquiring land for parking.
The trains themselves are not particularly loud, and they would not have to use their horns. They would have to blow the horns only when crossing a street at the grade. An elevated line would be a minimal noise nuisance. Up north, much of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system in the East Bay is elevated, and for years trains have been running unobtrusively through residential and commercial districts alike. That is a good model for the San Fernando Valley.
TRACY THIELEN
Burbank
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