Next phase starts on bringing ACE commuter trains to Turlock and Merced County
Rail planners are taking another step toward bringing the Altamont Corridor Express to Turlock and Merced County.
They have launched the detailed environmental study on this segment, which could have one commuter train by 2023 and four by 2027. The construction money is from $900 million in state grants for ACE and Amtrak expansions in the Central Valley.
ACE runs between Stockton and San Jose by way of Livermore. It offered four round trips on weekdays before COVID-19 trimmed that to two for now.
ACE already has approval for an extension adding stations in the downtowns of Manteca, Ripon, Modesto and Ceres. It could have one round trip a day as soon as 2022 and eventually four.
The upcoming study will be on a segment that will have stations in Turlock, Livingston or Atwater, and Merced. It has undergone a general environmental review and now will be studied in detail.
ACE also will build a northern branch to Sacramento County. It is further along in the environmental process and could be approved this summer.
Details on stations, other elements
The ACE branch will be within a busy freight corridor for the Union Pacific Railroad. ACE will add a second track where needed to keep the passenger trains from interfering with freight service.
Other key details:
- Turlock will have its ACE platform across North Golden State Boulevard from the Roger K. Fall Transit Center, the hub for buses serving the city. Parking spaces and pedestrian access will be included. A historic train depot sits along the track downtown, but it is occupied now by 10 East Kitchen & Tap House.
- Livingston’s platform, if it is chosen over Atwater, is planned downtown at Main and Court streets. It too would have parking and pedestrian access.
- Atwater’s platform would be downtown on Atwater Boulevard between First and Fifth streets, with parking and pedestrian access.
- The Merced platform will be downtown at 15th and R streets, with parking and pedestrian access.
The Merced site also will be a station for the state’s high-speed rail system, if it survives renewed efforts to curtail the controversial project. It was supposed to connect the Bay Area to Los Angeles by way of the San Joaquin Valley, with branches later to Sacramento and San Diego. Gov. Gavin Newsom supports building just a Bakersfield-Merced segment for now.
Chance for public comment
The planners will hold webinars Thursday, June 25, and Tuesday, June 30, where the public can comment on what the upcoming EIR should cover. The pandemic made live meetings impractical.
The first session will run from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on the 25th, followed by another from 6:30 to 8 p.m. the same day. The third webinar will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the 30th. Details on how to take part are at www.acerail.com.
ACE plans to release a draft environmental impact report for public comment this coming winter. A final EIR and project approval could go in fall 2021 before the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission. It is made up of elected officials in cities and counties served by the existing system.
The Manteca-to-Merced branch will have just one weekday train to start because of the need to build second trestles over rivers. Ultimately, the branch will have four round trips, including service to Sacramento as well as San Jose.
Gas taxes build rail
A pair of state grants totaling $900 million is paying for the ACE branches and for expansion of Amtrak service between Stockton and Sacramento. The money comes from fuel taxes paid by drivers, including the commuters whom the rail systems aim to lure off congested highways.
One grant will fund upgrades that will extend ACE from Stockton to Sacramento and expand the existing Amtrak service in that corridor. Stations will be added west of Lodi, in Elk Grove and at four locations in Sacramento. The total rail capacity will go from two to nine trains per day by 2026.
Amtrak has long had two round trips between Bakersfield and Sacramento, but it switched to buses at Stockton because of the pandemic. There also are four round trips between Bakersfield and Oakland, down from five before COVID-19.
This story was originally published June 24, 2020 at 1:38 PM.
