Commuter Rail May Be Heading for Sidetrack

County transportation officials tabled the selection of a preferred route for the $2.3-billion CenterLine Project on Monday, as support for the proposed commuter rail system appeared to be eroding in cities around the county.

In a key final vote, Anaheim is scheduled to decide tonight whether the planned 30-mile rail line should pass through the municipality. A “no” vote could force transportation officials to eliminate the northernmost third of the proposed rail line, denying future train riders access to such tourism hot spots as Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center. It also could jeopardize critical federal funding for the line, one of the most ambitious public-works jobs in Orange County history.

Orange County Transportation Authority officials acknowledged Monday that the unresolved questions concerning track placement, and which cities the rail line would serve, could hamper efforts to secure more than $1 billion in congressional funding next week.

OCTA officials are scheduled to meet next week in Washington, D.C., with members of the House Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee. OCTA Chairman Michael Ward conceded Monday that disagreement among officials in Anaheim and other cities has weakened the agency’s case for funding.

In addition to complaints from Anaheim officials and residents of a historic neighborhood that the rail line would cross, there is opposition from Irvine Unified School District trustees, who have opposed the placement of a route near two high schools and an elementary school. Minority opposition movements also have sprung up on the Irvine City Council, although most council members still support the plan.

“If Anaheim doesn’t step up and at least say they’re willing to negotiate with us, it will make it much more difficult for us to go to Washington and ask for the funds,” Ward said. “We really need all the cities to go along with us so we can show the federal government back East that everyone’s for it.”

The CenterLine proposal has received strong support from such organizations as the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce, Cal State Fullerton and the Fluor Corp.

But several Anaheim council members have expressed doubts about the project, particularly its price tag of roughly $80 million per mile of track.

“It’s a colossal waste of money,” Councilman Tom Tait said Monday.

Questions About Cost Estimates

Anaheim city staff also have argued against the rail line, claiming the project won’t meet the community’s goals of reducing traffic congestion or pollution. Tonight, the five-member Anaheim City Council will decide whether to endorse the “no-build” option. Board members were scheduled to vote on the matter two weeks ago but postponed it because of protracted discussions.

Tait is one of two members who have opposed the project. He said it was wrong for OCTA officials to press for federal funding amid such local dissension.

“It doesn’t make sense for them to go [to Washington, D.C.] now, when they don’t even know where the project is going,” he said. “I think they need to step back and take another look at this whole thing.”

Last week, the county chapter of the influential Building Industry Assn. recommended that OCTA take another look at the price of the project, saying that certain cost estimates appeared to be “understated.”

Although the building association said it supported transportation alternatives, it told OCTA in a letter the project should not move forward until “a consensus is provided by all the affected cities.”

Rail proponents at OCTA insist that opposition is thin and limited to a few vocal neighborhood groups. Cities such as Anaheim, Irvine and Garden Grove are being lobbied heavily to ensure their involvement. “I believe we’re making progress on all those fronts,” OCTA Executive Officer Arthur Leahy said.

Critics, however, dispute such rosy predictions.

Irvine City Councilman Greg Smith said he will ask his colleagues to schedule a special meeting next week so residents can voice their opinions. Smith, the council’s only vocal CenterLine opponent, failed in a similar attempt before.

“We haven’t had any public input,” Smith said. “I think that if they allowed it, they’d find the citizen support is much less than they think it is.”