California officials to use CRISI funds for Valley Rail service, new rail academy

The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) and San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC) will use a $122 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to support the Valley Rail program and help fund the launch of a school to educate future rail workers.

Awarded through the FRA's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program, the grant funds include $120 million to help fund a network of capital improvements between Stockton and Sacramento, California. The projects include construction of the Cabral track extension, Hammer Lane Siding, Thornton siding, Elk Grove double track, Pollock to South Sacramento Yard, the South Sacramento crossover, South Sacramento Yard rehabilitation, City College Station and Old North Sacramento Station, authority and commission officials said in a press release.

When Valley Rail begins service, it will provide new and increased passenger and Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) rail service throughout the San Joaquin Valley. This will help meet regional goals to improve passenger rail ridership and connectivity and help meet state goals to reduce emissions and vehicle miles traveled, officials said.

Meanwhile, about $2 million of the CRISI grant will go toward The Rail Academy of Central California (TRACC) by funding instructor salaries and equipment; class supplies for onboard instruction such as railroad radios and railroad flares; personal protective equipment for students; and other program costs. Creating TRACC is a strategy to attract and train new talent in the rail industry, authority and commission officials said.

TRACC will help train and prepare graduates to have successful, well-paying careers with freight and passenger railroads, they added. TRACC will combine teaching of the FRA-approved curriculum along with hands-on training at the ACE rail maintenance facility in Stockton.

“There is tremendous growth on the horizon for the rail industry, and it’s exciting to be able to contribute to the advancement of a strong workforce that will provide valuable transportation services and support improved mobility and connectivity,” said Stacy Mortensen, executive director of SJJPA and SJRRC.