Caltrain To Begin Weekend Night Work At California Avenue Station

Over the weekend of Jan. 25-28, Caltrain construction crews will begin pile driving beneath the tracks at the California Avenue station for the new pedestrian underpass. This work needs to take place at night to accommodate the train traffic that runs over the tracks during daytime hours.

Impact to Neighbors
Construction crews will make efforts to work as quickly and quietly as possible to minimize any disturbance to neighbors, although this project will probably impact homes close to the station. Neighbors may hear construction noise from backup alarms on equipment, concrete-cutting saws and jack hammers removing materials, cranes lifting track panels, and the heavy equipment used for pile driving. Two portable light towers, powered by a diesel generator, will be used for night work as well. The contractor will control dust with a water truck through the right of way.

Impact to Train Service
From approximately 8 p.m. Friday evening through 5 a.m. Monday morning, the southbound track will be closed for construction. Trains through the construction area will run on the northbound track in both directions. During this weekend construction, passengers at the California Avenue and Palo Alto stations will board both north- and southbound trains from the northbound platform. Announcements about this will be made by conductors on board trains and at stations. Regular boarding will resume with the first train on Monday morning.

This project will replace the current center-boarding platform with outside boarding platforms on either side of the tracks, and will include the installation of a fence between the train tracks. The new design will improve safety by preventing pedestrians from crossing the tracks. Pedestrians will cross between the platforms using a new pedestrian underpass that will be built at the site.

The year-long, $35 million construction project is scheduled to be complete at the end of 2008. It will improve track capacity and rail safety at both stations in Palo Alto, as well as bring the stations up to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. For additional information about the Palo Alto stations construction project, visit www.caltrain.com/paloaltostations, or email paloalto@caltrain.com.

01/24/2008 - jbw
Media Contact: Jonah Weinberg, 650.508.6238