Berkeley's BART Tunnel Should Be Model For Peninsula Rail Opponents

Jon Mays, editor of the San Mateo Daily Journal that sees the >daily influx of letters attacking the High Speed Rail project planned to run up the Peninsula from San Jose to San Francisco, suggests an alternative approach to tunnel the train - the aim of many San Mateo cities if they are unable to stop it altogether. His column also provides insight into the history of BART, noting that San Mateo County dropped out in 1962.

"(I)t is becoming increasingly clear that (the High Speed Rail Authority) is aiming to run its train through the Peninsula and those trains will not be in a tunnel.

The history of BART and its construction could be seen as a case study in navigating a challenging political and economic climate...The comparison to the current push for a new high-speed rail system from Los Angeles to San Francisco is not hard to make.

It may be time for Peninsula residents to take a cue from the people of Berkeley in the 1960s and find a way to ensure the system is one that does not destroy the character of the communities through which it will run.

It might be a regional bond... It's a massive political and financial undertaking, but one that is becoming increasingly clear in its necessity."