(The following column by Daniel Borenstein appeared on the Contra Costa Times website on August 30.)
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Plans to resurrect freight train service on an East Contra Costa rail line present a public policy dilemma for local and Bay Area officials.
On one hand, they’ve been fighting to reduce freeway traffic and pollution — two goals aided by shifting cargo from trucks to trains. On the other hand, they have allowed home construction next to the dormant tracks and now must tell new residents that their quiet neighborhoods will be disrupted.
The reality is that within the next few years, mile-long freight trains will probably rumble down Union Pacific’s Mococo line through Antioch, Oakley and Brentwood — and there is no way to derail the plans. As painful as that might be for some residents, it’s the right outcome. The alternative would be worse.
This is the price we pay in the Bay Area for reaping the benefits of a growing national economy and increased globalization. The East Bay, in particular the Port of Oakland, serves as a hub in the worldwide market. As trade with Asian nations continues to grow, Oakland, the second busiest port on the West Coast, is expected to see container shipments increase at least 67 percent by 2020.
On land, we cannot move all that extra cargo in and out by truck. Our air quality will deteriorate and shipping costs will rise with the price of fuel. Trains are a more fuel-efficient alternative and they are a key to the Port of Oakland’s plans for the future.
But there are a limited number of rail lines through the East Bay and into the Central Valley and beyond.
Commuter trains like the Capitol Corridor to Sacramento and the ACE Train through Altamont Pass take up valuable slots on tracks otherwise used for freight. It was just a matter of time before rail companies turned to the Mococo line.
The Bay Area is not unique. Since 1930, railroads have abandoned roughly half their tracks. Now, the resurgence in train traffic brought on by the doubling of the price of a barrel of oil in the past year will stretch rail companies to meet the demand. All of this is little consolation to homeowners along the Mococo line, which has not been used for nearly two decades.
One can’t help but wonder whether those residents saw the rarely used tracks before they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on their homes. Did they inquire about their future use? What did the real estate agents and developers tell them? Is there a warning in the fine print of their closing documents? I suspect we will hear more from them when the trains begin to run.
Zoe Richmond, Union Pacific’s spokeswoman, said she doesn’t know when that will be. “It’s not going to be something where we’re going to flip a switch,” she said. It will depend on how quickly the economy rebounds and fuel prices rise. It could be two or three years off, but it’s inevitable.
The company has recently started notifying local officials. City managers from the three cities are banding together. Antioch, Brentwood and Oakley were all much smaller communities when trains last ran on the Mococo. The city managers rightly worry about the roadway congestion that will be created when trains block traffic on major thoroughfares. There are a lot more cars on those streets than there were in the 1980s.
“This is going to be a huge, huge impact for our communities,” said Brentwood City Manager Donna Landeros. “We have developments that back right up to it.”
The city managers are going to consult attorneys about their options. They might obtain some mitigation from the state Public Utilities Commission, which is responsible for ensuring railroad crossings are safe. But Union Pacific officials are clear about their intentions and their belief that the cities cannot legally stop them. I’m told by legal experts that they’re probably right. Union Pacific never officially abandoned the line. It’s free to add as much train traffic as it safely can.
Of course, city officials, especially in Brentwood, will have to answer the question of why their predecessors allowed construction of homes right next to the rail line. In the rush to develop, did they simply turn a blind eye to the obvious? We’re left with an unfortunate situation. Residents will be hurt emotionally and financially when trains start running through their neighborhoods. But it’s the cost of strengthening the region’s economy.