California investing $1.3 billion for transformative rail and transit projects

The California State Transportation Agency (CSTA) is investing $1.3 billion in funding to support new transit and rail projects around the state. This funding, part of the agency’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), looks to provide Californians with sustainable alternatives to driving while advancing the state’s climate goals.

This funding announcement is part of a broader, multiyear investment strategy aimed at modernizing California’s public transit network. The TIRCP program, allocated funding through several state funds, delivers grants and funding opportunities for entities to conduct transformative transportation projects. This round of TIRCP grants represents the seventh funding cycle under the program.

The awarded projects are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emission by over 4.3 million metric tons. Additionally, by leveraging more than $8.6 billion in matching local, federal and state funds, these projects will enhance connectivity, improve safety and contribute to the state’s zero-emissions transportation goals.

Of the 26 total projects awarded TIRCP funding in this cycle, the majority will develop multimodal transportation projects that emphasize connectivity and environmental justice. The selected projects under this round will conduct over $10 billion of transformative work poised to benefit Californians across the state.

The highest-funded projects under this round of TIRCP funding include:

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority – $231 million to construct a new light rail line connecting LA County to downtown Los Angeles with options for future connectivity to Union Station. The $7.1 billion project will also leverage funding from previous TIRCP funding cycles to develop an additional, at-grade infill station at I-105.

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority – $130 million to install a modern communications-based train control system that utilizes Wi-Fi and cellular connections to track vehicles and communications in real-time. The project will also facilitate 82,000 new housing units along Muni corridors.

Orange County Transportation Authority – $125 million to install 2-ton and 6-ton rock gradation and 50 feet of sand nourishment to combat soil erosion. To be implemented in a phased approach, the $313 million project will additionally extend a catchment wall, restore adjacent trail access and install engineered rock revetment with sand nourishment.

Golden Empire Transit District – $117.9 million to implement a series of transformative transit improvements in Bakersfield and the surrounding region. Estimated to cost a total of $147.3 million, the project will procure 15 zero-emission buses, establish a new service line with 3 additional zero-emissions buses and upgrade the Downtown Transit Plaza with additional bus bays, modern amenities and 81 housing units.

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District – $81 million to extend SMART rail service to Healdsburg by reconstructing a 5.5-mile stretch and a 3.3-mile stretch of rail from Windsor to Healdsburg Depot. Additional improvements for the $269 million project include new rail tracks, upgraded stations, freight spurs, a paved bicycle and pedestrian pathway, improved crossings and federally mandated Positive Train Control.

San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission and San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority – $70.8 million to conduct grade separation along BNSF and UPRR rail lines to facilitate more seamless movement between passenger and freight traffic. The $527 million project will construct crossover tracks and switches in the UPRR Stockton South Yard, enhance regional passenger rail service, develop high-speed rail operations between Merced and Bakersfield and support workforce development.

Coast Rail Coordinating Council – $63.2 million to establish a new rail station in King City, including railroad siding upgrades and a National Guard staging area for service members to connect to Fort Hunter Liggett. The $102 million project will also feature crossover and siding improvements near the San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles stations and will construct the Ortega Siding between Santa Barbara and Carpinteria to enable a seventh Pacific Surfliner.

City of Santa Monica – $53.3 million to expand Big Blue Bus service by purchasing 73 zero-emissions buses for use on major routes, electric vehicle chargers, charger cabinets and a canopy structure to house charging infrastructure in the Big Blue Bus Yard. The $138.1 million project will also purchase an additional backup generator to support chagrin infrastructure and reliability.

Since its inception, TIRCP has allocated over $11.5 billion to 153 projects, largely funded by the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 and Cap-and-Trade program.

A full, comprehensive list of awards, including project descriptions, TIRCP award allocations and projects’ costs, can be found on CSTA’s 2024 Awards Cycle 7 Selected Projects webpage.

Photo courtesy City of Santa Monica, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons