What are the impacts of the various vertical alignments?
Because of the frequency of trains (one approximately every 2 minutes during peak hours, see below), any at or above grade alignment will have an enormous impact. There will be noise, vibration and air turbulence as trains pass through. Visually, the least intrusive element will be the 4’ sound wall. If berms are chosen, they are likely to rise about 15’ above grade with below grade street undercrossings. If viaducts are chosen, they are likely to rise15’ to 22’ above grade. 25’ catenary poles, carrying the wires that supply power to the train, will run along any roadbed at intervals of 100-200 feet, whether at or above grade. The impact of these structures would be to divide all communities through which high speed rail runs into two sections, separating neighborhood from neighborhood, and residents from downtown, diminishing any sense of “community”. CHSRA’s Alternatives Analysis is the study of these various vertical alignments through peninsula cities from which the CHSRA will choo
