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7/7/2023
Yesterday, the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) announced new grants that will benefit two short lines.
Sierra Northern Railway (SERA) plans to use its state grant to convert three additional diesel switching locomotives to hydrogen-powered zero-emission switchers.
The short line is receiving funding from CalSTA, the state of California and the Port and Freight Infrastructure Project through a public-private partnership with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District.
The total $19.5 million project will expand the short line’s current efforts to develop, demonstrate and test hydrogen-fueled switchers, SERA officials said in a press release. The testing will be conducted on a soon-to-be-constructed test track in the railroad’s West Sacramento yard.
When the project is completed in fourth-quarter 2027, it will increase the short line’s hydrogen-fueled switcher fleet to four and help the railroad to eventually convert its entire locomotive fleet to hydrogen-powered units, SERA officials said.
The project involves the integration of an advanced hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen storage, advanced battery and systems control technologies to create the zero-emission switchers. The partners working with SERA on the project include the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District; Railpower Tech LLC; Ballard Power Systems; Velocity Strategies; Gas Technology Institute; WHA International; University of California, Riverside College of Engineering-Center for Environmental Research; and Technology and Valley Vision.
“We believe that through creative public-private partnerships like [this], we can help the state of California achieve its goals of converting all switching locomotives to a zero-emission solution,” said SERA President Kennan Beard.
The short line operates about 75 miles of track in Northern California and 30 miles in Southern California, and interchanges with BNSF Railway Co. and Union Pacific Railroad.
Meanwhile, Merced County will obtain a $49.6 million CalSTA grant to build out an inland port at the Castle Commerce Center to enhance its rail capacity. The commerce center is a 1,912-acre multimodal freight hub supported by air, ground and rail connections.
Involving Patriot Rail Co. LLC, the project calls for developing 70 acres to support pre-shipment processing and intermodal cross-docking for Central Valley agricultural producers; providing direct rail service for shippers; and expanding track for a new staging and container laydown area to support cross-docking and processing. The project is expected to be completed by mid-2028.
The center/rail district became operational in May 2022 under Patriot Rail, which operates the rail line and already has tripled the cargo volume to and from Castle in recent months, county officials said in a release. The grant will further enhance the viability of agricultural producers, manufacturers and other enterprises in the San Joaquin Valley to more cost-effectively and efficiently ship and receive goods along a BNSF mainline, which runs adjacent to the site, they said.
“[We are] privileged to partner with Merced County to advance the rail foundation of an inland port at the Castle Commerce Center,” said Patriot Rail CEO John Fenton.