There are 4 grade crossings within city limits, at the intersections of Alma St, Churchill Ave, Meadow Dr, and Charleston Rd. The city has made plans upgrade the southern crossings and even proposed closing the Churchill Ave crossing completely to road traffic, but the project has been a hot-button issue for local residents and politicians for over a decade. The current proposed solution is elevating the tracks above grade, while lowering the roadway below grade. A subway tunnel underneath the right of way and converting the old track bed into a park was also proposed, but eventually dropped after it was deemed to be too costly and concerns over environmental impacts. Despite increased train service and Caltrain already installing Electric Service equipment on the mainline, Palo Alto has no green-lighted plans to address the crossings, except for immediate changes at Churchill Ave to address safety concerns at that intersection.
There are 4 grade crossings within city limits, a,t the intersections of Alma St, Churchill Ave, Meadow Dr, and Charleston Rd. The city has made plans upgrade the southern crossings and even proposed closing the Churchill Ave crossing completely to road traffic, but the project has been a hot-button issue for local residents and politicians for over a decade. The current proposed solution is elevating the tracks above grade, while lowering the roadway below grade. A subway tunnel underneath the right of way and convert.ing the old track bed into a park was also proposed but eventually dropped after it was deemed to be too costly and concerns over environmental impacts. Despite increased train service and Caltrain already, installing Electric Service equipment on the mainline, Palo Alto has no green-lighted plans to address the crossings except for immediate changes at Churchill Ave to address safety concerns at that intersection