The Sacramento region has secured nearly $50 million in CalSTA TIRCP (Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program) grants for Sacramento Valley Station and transit improvement projects. (Rendering Courtesy of Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority)

CalSTA Allocates $378.9MM for Rail Transit Projects

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) are among the eight California agencies that will share $378.9 million in TIRCP (Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program) grants from CalSTA (California State Transportation Agency) for rail-related projects.

“COVID-19 has posed a serious challenge to public transit, especially commuter railroads,” Caltrain Board of Directors Chair Steve Heminger said. Support from the ARP Additional Assistance Grant Program “ensures that, as the Bay Area continues to reopen and riders return to the system, Caltrain will be ready to get them where they need to go.”

For Caltrain, $38.8MM ARP Additional Assistance Grant

Caltrain has been awarded $38.8 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Additional Assistance Grant Program.

“The pandemic has made clear our operating funding model of relying so heavily on riders is outdated and hampers our efforts to provide equitable service, especially for low-income riders and marginalized communities,” BART General Manager Bob Powers said. “Increased federal funding allows BART to continue to invest in service improvements and safety enhancement as we welcome riders back to transit.”

BART, WMATA Awarded $390MM in ARP Additional Assistance Grants

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will receive $270 million and $120 million, respectively, from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Additional Assistance Grant Program; the funding is awarded to transit systems demonstrating additional pandemic-associated needs.

On Feb. 16, BART reported that “some major reliability issues” with its Fleet of the Future cars have been “sufficiently resolved.”

BART ‘Fleet of Future’ Car Deliveries Resume (Updated)

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is again accepting deliveries of its new Fleet of the Future (FOTF) railcars, following a Jan. 8, 2021 pause due reliability issues.