California awards $2.5B to passenger rail, transit agencies

The California State Transportation Agency has awarded more than $2.5 billion in grants though its Transit and Intercity Rail Capital program (TIRCP).

The funds will be used for several transit-rail projects in the state, San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Commission officials said in a press release.

"Metro areas around the state compete fiercely for TIRCP grants," said MTC Chair Alfredo Pedroza. "Bay Area investments received 85% of the $1.2 billion in TIRCP funds available for projects outside Southern California."

The awards include:

• $600 million to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Corridor Project;
• $375 million to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to help finance the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) extension from Berryessa/North San Jose through downtown San Jose to Santa Clara;
• $367 million to Caltrain to complete its corridor electrification project between San Jose and San Francisco;
• $250 million to BART to upgrade service frequency between San Francisco and Oakland under its Core Capacity initiative;
• $106.9 million to Metrolink to complete three critical infrastructure projects — the El Monte Siding and Stations Improvement, Fullerton Junction Reconfiguration and Fullerton to Esperanza Third Track — and Simi Valley Double Track projects;
• $34 million to the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District to extend the SMART corridor north to Windsor; and
• $31 million to the Los Angeles–San Diego–San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency to complete multiple projects, including the expansion of passenger-rail service on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner line and the construction of the Central Coast Layover Facility.