Major rail upgrade in Stockton could help travel and freight for Modesto and beyond
A major rail upgrade in Stockton could ease travel for passenger and freight trains from Modesto and other parts of the Central Valley.
The $237 million project is proposed where two busy railroads cross without the benefit of an overpass. Backers of the plan say it is vital to moving goods to market and expanding passenger service.
The work involves the Stockton Diamond, where north-south tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad cross an east-west route of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.
The planners have secured only about $45 million in state and federal funding so far. They hope to get most or all of the rest from state rail programs funded by gas taxes. Construction would be complete in 2026 under the current timeline.
Amtrak San Joaquin trains use the BNSF tracks for four daily round trips between Oakland and Bakersfield, by way of Modesto and 12 other stops. This line has a branch to Sacramento on UP tracks, served by buses for now because of COVID-19 cutbacks.
The junction also is on the route of the Altamont Corridor Express. It has two round trips between Stockton and San Jose on weekdays, down from four before the pandemic. ACE is expanding to Stanislaus County, with the first train as soon as 2022, and also to Merced and Sacramento counties.
‘A critical step’ for Central Valley rail
The Stockton Diamond is the most congested rail junction in California, the planners with the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission said.
The tracks carry 60 to 90 freight trains a day from around the nation and for local users such as the Port of Stockton. A train has to stop and wait if another is making its way through the junction.
The overpass would lift the north-south tracks over the east-west route. The site is five blocks south of Highway 4 in downtown Stockton.
The project also involves rerouting a 15-block stretch of the north-south tracks onto a corridor just to the east. And 10 ground-level rail crossings would be upgraded for the benefit of pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists in the neighborhood.
“This project is a critical step in unlocking freight and passenger rail mobility in Northern California,’’ said Kevin Sheridan, director of capital projects for the commission, in a news release.
Timeline and funding sources
The project has just started its environmental review, giving the public a chance to comment on the possible impacts by Oct. 3.
It could get approval next summer from the commission, which oversees ACE and is made up of eight elected officials in San Joaquin and Alameda counties. Detailed design and right-of-way purchase could take until 2023, followed by three years of construction.
The state funding to date includes about $4 million for the environmental study, $13.5 million for design and $7.3 million for right-of-way purchase. This month, the federal government granted $20 million toward construction.
The other $192 million will likely come from state gas taxes, said David Lipari, marketing manager for both ACE and Amtrak. The same source provided the $900 million for the upcoming ACE branches and increased Amtrak service to Sacramento.
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
