Brady PieperCalifornia is unveiling a long-term vision for the future of freight and passenger rail systems, intending to be the first state with a fully zero-emissions, interconnected rail network by 2050.
The California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) is announcing a new framework and strategic planning tool to guide the state’s passenger and freight transportation initiatives for the next 25 years and beyond. Developed in partnership with the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), the State Rail Plan will expand multimodal transportation options for residents, reduce the environmental impact of the transportation sector and spur nearly $450 billion in estimated economic return by the plan’s full integration.
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“Our vision is simple: by 2050, every Californian should be able to choose rail as a way to get to their destination, near or far,” Governor Gavin Newsom said. “Our rail plan is ambitious, but as the world’s fifth largest economy bursting with talent and innovation, we’re ready to take on this challenge.”
The State Rail Plan envisions years of funding opportunities and massive upgrades to the state rail system, which is considered an essential part of California’s transportation infrastructure. Designed to expand sustainable solutions for transporting goods and people, the plan seeks to provide mobility for all Californians by developing a world-class, zero-emission rail network that integrates with other multimodal transportation options.
Split into smaller term-based plans, the vision will establish near-, mid- and long-term goals for the state’s proposed interconnected rail network.
The vision’s near-term plan outlines the state’s next five years of rail infrastructure improvements. Over this time, the state will develop several historic zero-emission locomotive projects, such the first hydrogen trainset between San Bernardino and Redlands and a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California.
Along with a new regional service between San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento, the other projects poised to change California’s rail systems include a rail electrification and modernization project along the Peninsula Corridor, reliability improvements in and around San Clemente and operational service transitions to regular all-day service in Southern California.
The State Rail Plan’s mid-term objectives will expand regional and intercity services and provide new connections to Southern California’s attractions.
The mid-term plan provides a rail infrastructure blueprint for the next ten years, highlighted by the development of a high-speed rail service between Merced and Bakersfield. The mid-term plan will also encompass additional enhancements to service times in Southern California, extending Bay Area service to Salinas and Cloverdale and new and improved service for the San Diego Convention Center and the Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo region.
Looking ahead to 2050, the State Rail Plan intends to expand all intercity, regional and local transit systems to make travelling by train as attractive as car or air travel throughout the state.
The long-term plan will outlook the final pieces of the interconnected statewide rail network. As one of the main priorities under the State Rail Plan, California anticipates the full build-out of the high-speed service between San Francisco and Anaheim with connections to Sacramento, the Inland Empire and San Diego.
Existing services in Sacramento and San Jose will be expanded and improved while new high-speed intercity and regional services will be developed throughout Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas.
The long-term plan will also offer rail service to disconnected communities in Santa Cruz, Paso Robles and along the central coast by the end of project work.
While all near-term projects have already secured appropriate funding, mid-term and long-term projects will still need to fundraise to begin construction and implementation.
Over the life of the plan, CalTrans and CalSTA outline key strategies to improve the state rail system’s service, efficiency and leadership and innovation initiatives.
To remain competitive with other travel options, California’s rail service should utilize timetable-based planning and “pulsed” schedules to facilitate reliable connections throughout the day and provide riders better ease-of-use.
Urging for increased efficiency of rail systems, the plan calls for partnerships with the federal government and neighboring states to increase interoperability and advance fundraising endeavors.
Leadership and innovation initiatives will also contribute to the State Rail Plan’s agenda. The plan advocates for a fleet-wide transition to zero-emissions, the development of hydrogen and battery electric technologies and the involvement of long-term service levels in rail resiliency decisions.
As many rail initiatives are traditionally hard to finance, the plan recommends that future rail system projects be funded by several local, state and federal grant programs and private investments to implement these strategies.
Federally, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act offer a variety of grant programs that finance rail projects, including the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects Program (INFRA), the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Program (CRISI) and the National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program (MEGA).
The State Rail Plan calls for funding from five state programs to advance current and future rail initiatives.
Three state programs primarily finance passenger rail projects, the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, the State Rail Assistance Program and the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program. While there is some overlap in purpose, freight and trade-oriented rail projects can pursue funding through the Trade Corridor Enhancement Program and the Port Freight Infrastructure Program.
The plan highlights several California rail projects that have already secured funding for expanding and modernizing freight and passenger rail networks. These projects, located in California and nearby states, will increase mobility and connect residents in all communities to the state’s economy.
CalTrans will work with the CalSTA, transportation authorities and regional partners to implement these multi-district projects, such as the California High-Speed Rail Phase 1 Corridor project from San Francisco to Los Angeles, the High Desert Intercity High-Speed Rail Corridor project from Victor Valley to Palmdale and the Sunset Limited Long-Distance Service project from Los Angeles to New Orleans.
To fully construct the rail network, the State Rail Plan emphasizes the importance of public-private partnerships (P3) in the planning, design, development and operations of rail projects. The plan endorses private involvement and additional investments to support infill housing developments, reduced risk and debt incurred on government agencies and overall project efficiency.
One notable P3 rail project, led by the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), will construct a zero-emission, high-speed rail line from Las Vegas to an interconnected station in Rancho Cucamonga. Aligning with CalTrans’ connectivity goals, the Brightline West Rail project will enter into a $3 billion funding agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration to streamline the high-speed rail initiative and reduce travel time between Las Vegas communities and Southern California. 
California expects this investment into passenger and freight rail infrastructure will benefit all regions across the state, especially in historically disadvantaged communities. By the State Rail Plan’s full integration, the state anticipates over $307 billion in total capital investments, an increase of approximately 200 million daily passenger miles shifted off roadways and more than $535 billion in economic return.
Interested parties can find the full State Rail Plan here. More information on California’s rail initiatives is available on the CalTrans and CalSTA’s websites.
Photo courtesy Ian Gratton, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
