UPDATED: San Joaquin officials to use CRISI funds for new rail academy

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct information reported about the extent of a CRISI grant issued by the Federal Railroad Administration. A San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission press release issued Jan. 2 stated the FRA awarded a $122 million CRISI grant to SJRRC, with $2 million going to TRACC and $120 million going to the San Joaquin Valley Rail project. However, the information about the $120 million being awarded for Valley Rail was incorrect, according to an email sent to Progressive Railroading on the commission's behalf.

The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC) in California will use a $2 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to support the launch of a school to educate future rail workers, commission officials announced earlier this week.

Awarded through the FRA's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program, the funds will be used to support the opening of The Rail Academy of Central California (TRACC). The dollars will fund 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, commission officials said in a press release. TRACC will help train and prepare graduates to have successful, well-paying careers with freight and passenger railroads, they added.

The school will combine teaching of the FRA-approved curriculum along with hands-on training at the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) rail maintenance facility in Stockton.

“As California continues to invest in rail, workforce development is essential to strengthen the future of both freight and passenger rail," said David Lipari, deputy director of SJRRC.