Passenger Trains > New Capitol Corridor Agnew Siding Progress

The project to build a new siding on California's Capitol Corridor between Newark/Albrae
and Santa Clara on UP's Coast Sub has been proposed for some time but now appears to be 
making progress.  The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority at its last board meeting
has finalized costs and funding sources for the new siding at Agnew.  Scroll down to 
pages 10-11 of the following document:
https://www.capitolcorridor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sept-17-2025-CCJPA-Board-Meeting_Slide-Deck_Final.pdf

This siding would eliminate the "Expressway Shuffle", a term used by UP dispatchers whereby
southbound trains enter the San Jose controlled siding at CP Expressway and after the
northbound passes and clears the block ahead they then back out before continuing
south to Santa Clara.  This is because the siding does not serve any of the three platforms
at Santa Clara.

The new siding will be 2900' long and extend south from m.p. 41.0(Great America is at 40.7) to
just north of the Agnew Road grade crossingat m.p. 41.6.  This line sees 24 passenger moves each
weekday: 14 Capitol Corridor plus Amtrak 11/14 and 8 Altamont Corridor Express.  Freight traffic
is almost non-existent so no need for a longer siding.

Today'a ACE train 7 is seen approaching the Agnew Road grade crossing on the stretch where the
siding will be built.  Not sure if the mainline will have to be shifted a few feet to accomodate
the second track.

In second photo today's CC #527 has just crossed Agnew Road and speeds by the legendary Agnew depot
(built in 1877) at 41.7. Being just south of the new siding, there will remain just one track in front
of the depot.  As reported here on TO it received a repaint into the classic SP colors two years ago:
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,5735312,5735514#msg-5735514

Old SP employee timetables show a 2570' siding was once at Agnew.  Was this siding north or south of
the depot site? When was it removed?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/25 20:58 by milepost20.

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I've noticed the Expressway shuffle while observing Capitol movements on the Santa Clara Railcam.  It seems the same thing could be accomplished by installing another set of crossovers just north of the Santa Clara (SCC) platform.

Often times in the afternoon, Eastbound 538 has to wait at SCC for Westbound 541 to get into position at Expressway, while with a crossover they could pass each other somewhere between.  And I've noticed Capitols also taking Main 2 through the station (normally the Caltrain northbound track) when they won't interfere with Caltrain.

The siding would be welcome, since it is all single track between Expressway and just south of Albrae/Auto Mall Parkway in Fremont (8-9 miles?)

It sounds like Agnew siding will help, although once you are north of there, there are no sidings until you get to the other side of the bay and that is a long stretch w/o any. If any train ever breaks down on the the stretch of single track north of Agnew, that can probaby still delay up other movements. 

If and when the new siding is constructed it will be six miles of single track from the north
end of Agnew siding to the south end of Albrae,  Even with the time required for the Great
America stop the trains will make quick work of it.

Much of those six miles are in an environmentaly sensitive wetlands area that is part of the
San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  Future double tracking is unlikely.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/25 20:21 by milepost20.

>It seems the same thing could be accomplished by installing another set of crossovers just north of the Santa Clara (SCC) platform. 

I've wondered why they didn't do this. Would seem to be a more simple solution, same number of switches, less track and grading.

Jim B

milepost20 Wrote:
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> Old SP employee timetables show a 2570' siding was
> once at Agnew.  Was this siding north or south of
> the depot site? When was it removed?

There is or was an old "F.P." sign just north of the Palm Dr. intersection. It was still there as of the latest (November 2024) Street View imagery (below). I'm not positive, but this might have marked the fouling point at the south (SP east) end of the siding.
 

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milepost20 Wrote:
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> Old SP employee timetables show a 2570' siding was
> once at Agnew.  Was this siding north or south of
> the depot site? When was it removed?

It appears that it extended from about Palm Dr. to about Eisenhower Dr. This 1965 aerial photo from the UCSB FrameFinder site shows it fairly well: https://mil.library.ucsb.edu/ap_images/cas-65-130/cas-65-130_9-101.tif

The siding disappeared from the employee timetable sometime between 1981 and 1983, though the station remained in the timetable for some time after.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/25 22:13 by Sobrante.

This evidence would put the Agnew Road grade crossing right in the middle of
the old siding.  Historically consistent with having a siding at a depot.

I see the old fouling point (F.P.) sign is still up.  

The siding was on the compass-east side of the main,
fitting the F.P. sign. The 1979 chart shows the south/east
switch 900-1000 ft from the overpass.

Nice to see continued improvements that will benefit both the Capital Corridor and ACE trains.

Nathan

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