CA: Officials will discuss how best to capitalize on new Salinas train service

The Transportation Agency for Monterey County will be discussing expanded Caltrain service to Salinas at a meeting next week hosted by the Salinas Valley Tourism and Visitors Bureau, which will highlight projects to expand tourism opportunities in the region.

The Transportation Agency’s Monterey County Rail Extension project, which has already transformed the Salinas train station area, will bring Caltrain, a commuter rail line, from Santa Clara County to Monterey County, specifically Gilroy to Salinas.

The TAMC Rail Policy Committee public meeting is slated for Monday, beginning at 2 p.m., and will be held at the California Welcome Center at 1 Station Place in Salinas.

Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions about the anticipated timing and impacts to local cities. Along with the extension of rail service comes significant economic opportunities throughout the region, according to the Salinas Valley Tourism and Visitors Bureau. Being prepared to maximize these opportunities, regionally, should be one of the more important collective focuses of leaders within Monterey and San Benito counties.

Following the conclusion of the public meeting, attendees are invited to tour the historic properties at what is now the Intermodal Transportation Center in downtown Salinas that includes the Amtrak Station, the Monterey Salinas Valley Railroad Museum, exhibit of vintage rail cars and the First Mayor’s House of Salinas.

The Visitors Bureau said it would like to encourage its regional partners to engage in a collaborative effort to support and prepare for the expansion of rail service. Planning to utilize mutual resources will maximize the benefits that this opportunity presents.

Rail travel for work and leisure is undergoing a resurgence and local leaders need to be aware of, and involved in, the work that is in progress, said Denise Estrada, a Visitors Bureau regional advisory council member.

“Salinas needs to take a leadership role for the region so that we can capitalize and be prepared for this new access point to the Monterey Bay area,” said Estrada. “To better facilitate cities’ readiness for these rail project impacts, local leaders’ involvement and investment in their success, is critical.”

The meeting agenda includes receiving an update on the planned increase in passenger rail service along the coast corridor between San Francisco and Los Angeles, a presentation from Visitors Bureau Executive Director Craig Kaufman, and an update on the Salinas Rail Kick Start project about the Salinas layover facility and Gilroy track connections.

Kaufman said the Visitors Bureau’s goal is not to create something that is “instead of going to the Monterey Peninsula,” but to increase the overnight stays within the region as a whole.

“The focus of the bureau in the short term is to keep travelers on Caltrain in the region through the storytelling and place-making of our diverse ancestors and rich history,” Kaufman said. “We are trying to enhance tourism opportunities through regional heritage tourism.”

The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail comes up the Salinas Valley, over Monterey-Salinas Highway to the Carmel Mission, and then back up through Salinas, said Kaufman. The Anza story encompasses both the Monterey Peninsula and Salinas and San Benito valleys.

Kaufman said that by marketing the Anza trail, the area’s historic downtowns, and natural landscapes, the Visitors Bureau and its partners are setting the stage to be a complementary effort to what is occurring on the Monterey Bay.

“Our long-term focus is on economic development and sustainable housing so that our community can thrive along with the second-largest industry in Monterey County — tourism,” said Kaufman.

The long-term goal is to re-energize underutilized county-held assets adjacent to this historic trail and create new revenue streams through the transient occupancy tax, explained Kaufman.

“By making this a bi-county effort – San Benito and Monterey – we can collectively enhance heritage tourism through this national historic trail and create new revenues for our county coffers,” he said.

In the future, Santa Cruz County will be connected to the rail expansion on the Coast Mainline tracks.

Salinas is the largest city on the Central Coast between San Jose and Oxnard, Estrada pointed out, and needs to take a leadership role in making the city a point of destination that reflects its pride in being the Monterey County seat and a fully functional site for increased rail service.

With the expanded commuter rail service to Salinas, the Station Place location (Intermodal Transportation Center) is expected to be a critical service delivery point for rail travelers.

“To maximize the benefits of the extension of rail service, local leaders need to invest in site improvements, at Salinas City Heritage Park and the Amtrak station,” explained Estrada. “To be successful, the site must be more attractive to visitors. It must be seen as safe, interesting, and accommodating of their needs.”

As a piece of this work ahead, the Visitors Bureau is initiating a fundraising effort to expand the Salinas City Regional Heritage Center and California Welcome Center, visitor amenities and community gathering spaces, said Estrada.