As part of a regional partnership led by Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA), the City of Sacramento was awarded $26.8 million in funding from the California State Transportation Agency’s (CalSTA) “Transit and Intercity Rail Capitol Program.”
This latest cycle of state funding is dedicated to construction funds for a new Regional Bus Mobility Hub (RBMH) at the Sacramento Valley Station (SVS) that will provide key regional multimodal access improvements, expanding to a true Transit Center at the SVS.
The 68,000 square-foot historic station building located in the Railyards District, underwent an initial facelift in 2017 with federal and local Measure A funds, which included the addition of 25,000 square feet of mixed-use leasable space.
The construction funding for the RBMH will deliver the two-story regional bus and mobility hub, allowing for unified regional buses, local shuttles and micro-buses, bicycles, with electric vehicle parking within a short distance of regional rail services.
This funding builds on a 2022 award for a new pick-up/drop-off location adjacent to a relocated light rail station. Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) is pursuing funding for the station relocation.
“This crucial funding will advance SVS’s transformation into Northern California’s premier rail and transit hub,” said Greg Taylor, project manager with the City’s Department of Public Works. “We thank CalSTA for the continued support to improve the integration of the statewide rail and bus system.”
This award to CCJPA partnership agencies includes a set of interrelated investments in growing communities along the Capitol Corridor system that will create and improve access to intercity rail, connecting transit and local communities.
SVS’s transformation will increase transit ridership, encourage transit-oriented development, reduce dependence on the automobile, increase alternatives to single occupancy vehicle trips for low income and special needs populations, and decrease emissions.
“Increasing Sacramento Valley Station’s capacity for more climate friendly transportation options is a key strategy in our fight to reach carbon zero in Sacramento,” said Mayor Darrell Steinberg. “The improvements funded by this grant will encourage commuters or visitors to say ‘yes’ to leaving their car behind.”
Construction includes coordinating with the SacRT light rail station relocation project to clear the way for the new bus facility. The overall anticipated project cost of the RBMH including surface streets and utilities is $140 million.
In 2022, the City received the majority share of $49.9 million in funding for capital projects for the SVS, as well as regional bus route stops, a bus layover and vehicle charging facility.
This project is also expected to receive significant federal funding, officials said.
Photo credit: Steelblue for City of Sacramento/Perkins&Will