A presentation to the Atherton City Council on Wednesday by Caltrain was intended to explain why some trees might have to be removed as its electrification project gets underway.

It showed that only 18 trees might have to be removed in Atherton, instead of the 142 listed in the project’s original environmental impact report.

The railroad expects 214 trees will have to be trimmed, but not removed, as opposed to the original EIR’s 206.

The electrification project will install an overhead contact system the entire, 51-mile length of the Caltrain corridor, from San Francisco to San Jose’s Tamien Station.

The new electric trains will run as fast as 79 mph, with six trains running in each direction per hour. The Atherton station, now serviced only on weekends, would be reopened for daily service.

Other trains, such as freight trains, would continue to operate on the Caltrain tracks.

Groundbreaking is expected sometime this year. The first electric trains are to be delivered in 2019, and enter service between 2020 and 2021, according to Caltrain documents.

The problem with the overhead contact system, which has led to lots of arguments from the town of Atherton, is that a safety zone is needed to keep any trees or other vegetation at least 10 feet from the poles that support the power cables.

Atherton has sought the use of poles between the tracks, rather than poles built on either side of the two tracks that traverse the town.

On Wednesday, City Manager George Rodericks said that Caltrain had found a way in planning to mostly use the between-tracks poles for the section of the line that travels next to the town’s Holbrook-Palmer Park.

Caltrain will be required to replace any trees it removes, on public or private land. Property owners will receive notice before any removals or trimmings take place.