California awards $71 million in funding for Valley Rail program

The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) has awarded the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) and the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC) $71 million from cycle 7 of its transit and intercity rail capital program for the Bridging Rail Initiatives, Technology and Education (BRITE) project. 

The BRITE project includes a series of infrastructure additions and improvements that are necessary to the Valley Rail program, an initiative to expand and support both the Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) Rail and Amtrak San Joaquins lines between Sacramento and the San Joaquin Valley, SJJPA officials said in a press release. In particular, the award will help close funding gaps for the Stockton diamond grade separation project, which will separate the north-south Union Pacific Railroad mainline track from the two east-west BNSF Railway Co. mainline track, unlocking a freight bottleneck and increasing frequency of passenger-ail service on ACE Rail and Amtrak San Joaquin routes.

The BRITE project package includes funding for the south Stockton Yard crossover, which will support the Stockton diamond track construction.

Additionally, funding will support construction of a new station in Madera County for California’s interim high-speed rail service between Merced and Bakersfield, and the the Rail Academy of Central California, which is training rail workers to maintain and operate rail infrastructure. The $71 million award supplements the $420 million that has already been allocated for BRITE project components from other funding sources.