Amtrak Has Two-Track Mind

Amtrak wants to add a second set of tracks and faster trains along the Southern California coast, including the possible construction of elevated tracks in San Clemente that some residents fear would ruin the beach’s tranquil atmosphere.

Several other coastal cities, including Del Mar and Encinitas, are raising concerns about the $4.2-billion “double-tracking” proposal.

But Amtrak officials acknowledge that their biggest challenge lies in San Clemente, where the existing tracks barely fit between a narrow beach and fragile coastal bluffs.

Amtrak said it needs to complete the second set along its Los Angeles-to-San-Diego route to reduce delays and provide faster service at a time when more people are using the train to beat freeway congestion. Planning is in the early stages, and Amtrak hopes Congress will allocate funds this year.

But San Clemente officials, already uncomfortable with the current situation, said the addition of high-speed trains, zooming by at 90 mph in an area traversed by beachgoers, would only worsen an already dangerous situation. In the last decade, seven pedestrians have been killed by trains passing through the city.

“It’s such a ridiculous plan. Most people weren’t sure whether to laugh or be outraged,” said Bill Hart, a longtime resident and chairman of the city’s Coastal Advisory Commission.

To deal with the physical limitations of San Clemente, Amtrak has suggested elevating tracks onto a platform and perhaps cutting into some of the coastal cliffs. But city officials said that would mar the area’s beauty and cause erosion.

The double-tracking proposal is part of a $10.1-billion, 20-year Amtrak improvement program for the entire state that would expand service, increase capacity and shorten trips. Projects include curve realignments, traffic control upgrades, underpasses and overpasses, parking, and connections with buses and other mass transit.

Ridership on the Pacific Surfliner corridor, between San Luis Obispo and San Diego, surpassed 1.5 million people in 1999 and keeps growing, Amtrak officials say. This year, through July, almost 1.4 million riders have taken the train.

The Los Angeles-to-San Diego run is Amtrak’s second busiest after the one from Washington, D.C., to Boston.

Amtrak envisions hourly service carrying nearly 6 million passengers annually along the Southland coast at speeds up to 110 mph. That would cut the trip to 25 or 30 minutes.

Amtrak shares its right of way with commuter and freight trains. But because it doesn’t own the tracks, Amtrak usually must yield--causing delays of up 30 minutes per trip.

With double tracks, the trains could whiz by each other at high speed without having to stop anywhere but at stations.

The statewide project is still in the early planning stages. Funding depends on Congress passing a bill that would raise $12 billion in bonds for rail projects nationwide.

Amtrak officials said they are not sure how they will deal with some of the physical--and political--challenges of the double-tracking project. But they emphasized that the public will have a voice.

“What we said is we need to double-track those sections,” said Darrell Johnson, a director of Amtrak’s business and strategic planning. “How we do that we haven’t defined yet.”

While the project would include new inland tracks, much of the controversy so far has arisen where the tracks hug the coastline.

In Del Mar, the trains run atop a bluff that is eroding. Officials fear the bluff would give way under more tracks.

“Amtrak needs to get that train off the bluffs,” said Dave Druker, a Del Mar city councilman and North County Transit District representative.

The city wants Amtrak to remove the tracks from the bluff and run them underground.

In San Clemente, the trains run between the sand and the coastal business district. Many residents and merchants said another set of tracks is a bad idea.

Mike McGeary, who owns Mike’s Pier Market and the Beachgarden Cafe, said pedestrians have enough difficulty already getting around the trains.

“This is probably one of the most beautiful spots along the coastline,” he said. Adding high-speed trains “would be a disaster.”

Melinda Smart, manager of an espresso shop at the end of the San Clemente Pier, added: “That’s kind of scary. We’re a very small town, and we all walk across the train tracks to get to our beach.”