California Awards $500 Million in Grants for Low-Emissions Transportation Projects

The Amtrak route between Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Luis Obispo is one of the projects to receive a boost from the California State Transportation Agency's 2020 Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP).

2 minute read

April 23, 2020, 10:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


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"The Los Angeles–San Diego–San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) passenger-rail corridor agency yesterday was awarded a $38.7 million state grant to improve Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner service in Southern California," according to an article in Progressive Railroading

"The state grant to LOSSAN includes funding to help overhaul and modernize rail cars on the Pacific Surfliner service and build two train layover facilities in San Luis Obispo County and San Diego, LOSSAN agency officials said in a press release."

The 2020 of funding for California's Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) is providing $500 million to transportation projects designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, includign the $38.7 million for the Pacific Surfliner. A separate article in Mass Transit magazine provides information about the rest of the money awarded under the TIRCP in its 2020 cycle of funding. Seventeen recipients in all will receive funding in 2020. The largest award, $107.1 million, went to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) for rail vehicle acquisition for the Transbay Corridor Core Capacity Program. An additional humber of BART cars will allow rail service through the Transbay tube "to increase from 23 to 30 trains per hour in each direction, as well as the operation of 10-car trains on all service in peak hours."

Funding for the TIRCP was created by the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1) and from the Cap and Trade program proceeds, according to Mass Transit.

Thursday, April 23, 2020 in Mass Transit

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