Weekend Night Work to Continue at California Avenue Station

Over the weekend of Feb. 1-4, Caltrain construction crews will continue 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 train traffic during daytime hours.

Impact to Neighbors
Neighbors living close to the train station will probably hear noise from the pile driving, which will take place around the clock over the weekend. Neighbors may also hear 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. If necessary, the contractor will control dust with a water truck through the right of way.

Caltrain regrets the impact to residents, and understand the importance of peaceful nights and weekends, however the agency is unable to complete the construction involved in the project without this “after hours” work. Additionally, Caltrain anticipates that this will be the last weekend of nighttime pile driving during this phase of the project.

Impact to Passengers
Because crews will take one track out of service through Palo Alto, weekend passengers at the California Avenue and Palo Alto stations will board all trains from the southbound track. Announcements about this boarding change will be made on trains and at stations to help prevent confusion. The track will be put back into service for regular boarding by the start of service 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 work that will taking place this weekend is to shore up forms, which will be used for the construction of a pedestrian underpass that is being built to go between the new platforms. Once complete, the new station design will improve safety by preventing pedestrians from crossing the tracks.

The year-long, $35 million construction project is scheduled to be complete at the end of 2008. For additional information about the Palo Alto stations construction project, visit www.caltrain.com/paloaltostations, or email paloalto@caltrain.com, or call the construction outreach specialist 650-508-7726.

01/31/2008 - jbw
Media Contact: Jonah Weinberg, 650.508.6238