Valley Rail
What is Valley Rail?
Valley Rail is a joint program that includes improvements and expansions of both ACE and Amtrak San Joaquins that is focused on improvements between Sacramento and the San Joaquin Valley. Valley Rail implements two new daily round-trips for the Amtrak San Joaquins service to better connect San Joaquin Valley travelers with the Sacramento Area, and extends Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) service between Sacramento and Merced. In addition, Valley Rail will convert the entire fleet including the thruway bus network to renewable diesel fuel, providing greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits across the entire existing (449 track miles) and proposed expanded (119 track miles) San Joaquins and ACE services.
Valley Rail's Latest
(STOCKTON, Calif.) — With the freight railroads and all of their respective employee unions not yet coming to an agreement, the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC) will implement a modified operating plan for ACE on Thursday, September 15, 2022. ACE will be suspending ACE 05 (6:40 AM Stockton Departure) and 07 (7:32 AM Stockton Departure) in the morning and ACE 08 (5:35 PM San Jose Departure) and 10 (6:38 PM San Jose Departure) in the afternoon on Thursday, September 15, 2022. Read More UPDATE: Continued Freight Railroad Labor Negotiation Impasse Affecting ACE Operations
The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC), in coordination with the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), announces the availability of the Final Environmental Assessment (EA)/Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Stockton Diamond Grade Separation Project (Project). Read More Continued Freight Railroad Labor Negotiation Impasse May Affect ACE Operations
The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC), in coordination with the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), announces the availability of the Final Environmental Assessment (EA)/Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Stockton Diamond Grade Separation Project (Project). Read More Availability of the Final Environmental Assessment/Finding of No Significant Impacts
Station Project Updates
The Valley Rail Projects that aim to improve travel in the San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento, and the Bay are in various project phases. The dropdown menu allows you to view current project phases: Planning, Design, Construction, and Completed.
Key
San Joaquins Rail
ACE Rail
ACE Rail, San Joaquins Rail
Project Highlights
New stations
16 new stations are being constructed
Increased Service
7 new daily round-trips will be added between the two services
Serving the community
30% of disadantaged communities in California served
Environmental Benefits
52 Million metric tons of C02 GHG
Community Health
Improve public health and reduce Fataties/Injuries
New Equipment
New trainsets for ACE and San Joaquins
Shaping the Future of SJRRC
Why is Valley Rail Important to California?
Valley Rail improves geographic equity by connecting key locations in the Central Valley including Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, and Fresno Counties to each other and beyond to the Bay Area and the greater California rail network via three future high-speed rail (HSR) connections in Merced and San Jose. This transformative, megaregional project helps further the State's vision for an integrated rail network and provides direct mobility and air quality benefits to citizens in nine counties, including over 30% of the disadvantaged communities in California. SJJPA SJRRC TIRCP Grant Announcement Press Release
Based on environmental clearance and funding, the Valley Rail Program consists of two segments one South and one North of Stockton. Each segment includes several projects each with individual costs and schedules.
Current contract work includes engineering and property assessments for different station and track work locations at Ceres, Modesto, Manteca, Lathrop, Stockton, Lodi, Elk Grove, Midtown Sacramento, and Natomas. Additional contracts will be awarded in the future for stations and associated track work.
Milestones
Valley Rail Station Design Guidelines
Valley Rail will consist of shared ACE and San Joaquins stations between Stockton and Natomas, ACE stations for the extension from Lathrop to Ceres/Merced, and San Joaquins stations at Oakley and Madera. As SJJPA/SJRRC have made passenger experience a priority, there is a strong need for blended policies to guide elements of station design and delivery. Additionally, as the program will be implemented through multiple station design projects, with different design teams and over a duration of time, the agency felt there was need for unified principles, guidelines and criteria. These will help guide station and system designs for visibility, safety, and passenger accommodation while reflecting quality design and relating to their local environment. The overall design goal is to balance consistent system-wide functional continuity, while providing distinctive elements that are reflective of surrounding neighborhood character.
The document can be found here.