SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority could resume light rail service by the end of July under a five-point plan begun by the agency
KTVU-TV reports VTA fulfilled the first stage of the plan last week when employees were able to return to the Guadalupe rail yard in San Jose, the site of the shooting that saw a VTA employee kill nine other workers and himself, to retrieve personal items. For much of the time since the May 26 incident, the site had remained under control of investigators.
Phase two involves repair of two buildings damaged during the attack, along with hiring of new employees to fill the vacancies created by those lost in the shootings. Individuals involved in maintenance and federally mandated inspection of electrical systems were hit particularly hard by the attack [see “Santa Clara transit agency still has no estimate for resumption …,” Trains News Wire, July 6, 2021].
“We lost over half of the way, power, and signal team,” VTA spokeswoman Brandi Childress told the station. “High skill set. Hard to fill positions. Having that critical staff come back, not only to work, but to find other people who can do that work, is the people side.”
Phase three will involve employees returning to work, including inspection of equipment and lines, while the fourth phase will be test-train operations. The fifth and final phase is the full resumption of services. The agency may return with revised schedules to better fit demand, the station reports.
