Divided Anaheim Council Backs CenterLine Project

The Anaheim City Council voted Tuesday to support construction of the proposed $2.3-billion CenterLine project, ending for now the long-running debate over the rail line.

The 3-2 vote was with the provision that the Orange County Transportation Authority route the line clear of residential areas. OCTA also must pledge in writing to expand express bus service between Riverside and Orange counties and not use certain state transportation funds for CenterLine.

Mayor Tom Daly, who supported the measure, said, “The OCTA must by law plan some type of central rail system.”

But several city officials have expressed doubts about the project, particularly its cost of roughly $80 million a mile. “I think it’s a boondoggle,” said Councilwoman Lucille Kring. “It’s not going to do anything to improve congestion or pollution.”

A “no” vote could have forced transportation officials to eliminate the northernmost third of the proposed rail line, denying future train riders access to such tourism hot spots as Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center. It also could have jeopardized critical federal funding for the line, mandated by Measure M and one of the most ambitious public-works jobs in Orange County history.

OCTA officials have acknowledged that unresolved questions concerning track placement, and which cities the rail line would serve, could hamper efforts to secure more than $1 billion in congressional funding. OCTA’s executive director, Arthur Leahy, and Chairman Michael Ward are to travel to Washington, D.C., on March 7 to pitch the project to the House appropriations subcommittee on transportation and request funding.

Officials are concerned that Congress will be reluctant to fund the project without the full support of affected cities. Rail advocates are looking to the federal government for 50% to 60% of the money for the project.

Initial plans called for about 30 miles of track between Fullerton and Irvine. Passengers would be ferried at an average of 20 mph to such landmarks as Disneyland, Edison Field, South Coast Plaza, John Wayne Airport and the Irvine Spectrum. Between stops, the train could reach a speed of 60 mph.

Even with Anaheim’s approval to bring the line through the city, OCTA officials suggest that council members in the future might have other ideas.

“It’s going to take a long time to build this thing, and who knows how people in Anaheim are going to feel about it eight or nine years down the road?” OCTA spokesman George Urch asked.

In addition to complaints from Anaheim officials and residents of a historic neighborhood that the rail line would cross, there is opposition from Irvine Unified School District trustees, who are concerned about the placement of a route near two high schools and an elementary school. Opposition movements also have sprung up on the Irvine City Council, although most council members still support the plan.

The CenterLine proposal has received strong support, however, from such organizations as the Angeles chapter of the Sierra Club, the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce, Cal State Fullerton and Fluor Corp.