Assembly rail committee to meet in Modesto

The vision of a vibrant passenger train network linking Modesto and the Valley to the rest of California will take center stage here Friday.

As chairman of the Assembly Select Committee on Rail, Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, will host the public hearing in Modesto “to highlight improvement programs envisioned for both” train services, the lawmaker said in a letter. He referred to Amtrak, which skirts Modesto on its way from Bakersfield to Sacramento and the East Bay, as well as to the Altamont Corridor Express, running from Stockton to the East Bay and Silicon Valley.

Friday’s meeting will “help build the political support necessary to get the funding needed to improve and expand these services,” Gray said.

A new agency composed of Valley officials recently took control of Amtrak’s San Joaquin Corridor and wants to appeal more to job commuters with expanded schedules for the San Joaquins. On a separate track, ACE hopes to extend a line from Lathrop to Modesto by 2018 and to Turlock and perhaps Merced as soon as 2022.

People can “show their support for these two successful existing passenger rail services” at Friday’s hearing, Gray said. He’s inviting local officeholders, as well as members of the Senate Select Committee on Passenger Rail, whose members include Sen. Cathleen Galgiani, D-Manteca, and Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres.

The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. in the basement chamber at Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St., Modesto.

This story was originally published August 19, 2015 at 12:29 PM with the headline "Assembly rail committee to meet in Modesto."