Transit

Preliminary work starts on green line

2010-03-16T04:31:18Z

Preliminary work is paving the way for the first mile of the Sacramento Regional Transit District's newest light rail line, which will one day run to Sacramento International Airport.

A contractor's crew has begun identifying the location of utilities — water, sewer, electric and phone lines — that must be relocated before the tracks for the new "green line"are laid. The line will initially span a little more than a mile, starting downtown at the Sacramento County courthouse at Eighth and H streets and running north to a terminus at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard.

The new line is now expected to open in January 2011, rather than November as initially reported, said RT spokeswoman Alane Masui. She said she did not know the specifics behind the delay, except that the project's notice to proceed wasn't issued as soon as expected.

Two weeks ago, 80-foot pieces of straight rail were delivered downtown via railroad flat cars and flatbed truck.

"It's quite a ballet to unload that track," said green line construction project manager John Gaines of the engineering firm 4LEAF Inc.

Last week, a company that specializes in welding rail began welding those into 400-foot segments at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard. The company is expected to finish welding pieces of track together Tuesday. The segments will be stored in parking lanes on Seventh Street between B Street, just north of the levee, and Richards Boulevard.

Crews have been digging potholes downtown and at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard to search for utilities to relocate for six weeks. Utilities will start being moved in the next week or so. Track installation is expected to start in June and continue through October.

Demolition also has begun on an old building at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard, where one of the stations will be built.

The line's expansion to the airport — another 11.7 miles of track — isn't expected to be constructed for eight to 10 years. The first mile is being paid for with local funding. Measure A sales tax funds will finance most of the $44 million project to build 1.1 miles of single track and two stations.

State and federal funds will be sought to build the rest of the line, according to RT General Manager Mike Wiley.

Work underway on train station, tracks

2010-01-28T06:12:30Z

Maintenance work began Wednesday on Union Pacific railroad tracks in the Downtown Sacramento railyards, while ongoing upgrades continue at the historic Sacramento Valley Station.

Union Pacific has started rail maintenance work on existing tracks. Rail cars that are part of a track replacement train known as the TRT 909 are pulling up the rail and replacing railroad ties underneath, said Aaron Hunt, public relations director for Union Pacific.

"We have track improvement projects going on throughout the state currently," he said.

The work is not part of the $60 million Downtown track relocation project, said Richard Rich, development director of Thomas Enterprises' Railyards project.

The timing was determined by the amount of train traffic and loads on the tracks, even though those tracks will be ripped out in a year or so, as track relocation work is scheduled to start by May. Railroad track relocation is the first phase of a regional transportation center being built in the 244-acre historic railyards adjacent to the existing station at Fifth and I streets.

The design and location of the future transit hub must still be determined. Two weeks ago, Thomas and another development team proposed incorporating the transportation center into a new Kings arena if the arena were built adjacent to the existing train station.

On Tuesday, the California Department of General Services closed off a dozen parking spaces next to the train station for work expected to begin soon on upgrading the station's electrical system, said Linda Tucker, spokesperson for the city's Department of Transportation.

Those spaces won't be available until May 15. The station's water system is also being updated at this time, she said.

City workers are designing new front-entry canopies for all the doors and strengthening wall and floor connections, she said.

Workers have also secured the building against pests, updated the natural gas system, repaired basement leaks, removed some lead paint and asbestos, and done other work since the city bought the building on behalf of its residents in 2006. Amtrak leases the station from the city.

Sacramento Valley Station sits on a major national trade route, the Central Corridor, whose western junction is the high-volume Port of Oakland. Freight and passenger trains share three tracks in a configuration set up about the time the Sacramento station was built in 1925.

Track relocation work will include building tracks devoted to freight, in order to allow a higher volume of freight trains to move more quickly through Sacramento. Freight and passenger tracks also will be moved at least 300 feet north and straightened to allow for longer trains.

Eco train engine unveiled

2009-07-18T00:51:02Z

A greener locomotive will make its official California debut in Sacramento Wednesday.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will present the locomotive during a press conference at the Sacramento Valley Rail Station, which holds a prestigious spot in railroad history as the western starting point for the Transcontinental Railroad.

Caltrans and Amtrak are partners operating "Amtrak California." Caltrans owns this locomotive, plus 16 others and 88 train cars. Amtrak operates the trains and stations.

The first in the Amtrak California passenger fleet, the locomotive has been upgraded to operate using the cleanest diesel technology available for train engines.

“This is really a big step for Caltrans. We took a proactive role to get a cleaner locomotive on the tracks, and we’re proud to see this project through,” said Caltrans Director Will Kempton. "It aligns with Gov. (Arnold) Schwarzenegger's objectives to clean up Caltrans’ carbon footprint, and it contributes to the bigger goal of California going green."

The locomotive -- built in 2001 by Illinois-based Electro-Motive Diesel -- was upgraded in May by the same company to produce lower greenhouse gas emissions and use less fuel, among other things.

The locomotive has been powering Amtrak trains on the Capitol Corridor Route between Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area since June.

Amtrak California expects to reduce its operating emissions by up to almost 50 percent after converting 14 other locomotives of the same model to this technology, according to Caltrans' rail division.

Light rail ground broken Monday

2009-10-13T03:27:13Z

Officials broke ground Monday on the city's newest light-rail line.

The first segment of Sacramento Regional Transit District's "green line" will run just more than a mile, from downtown north to the River District. Eventually, the line will carry public transit riders to Sacramento International Airport.

"It's the first great step to a complete transportation system. This is going to connect everything together," said U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui, standing at the future site of the line's initial terminus, 7th Street and Richards Boulevard. "We have an investment in an expanded airport. We're going to have to have another way to get there — and that's going to be light rail."

The line will start at the Sacramento county courthouse, Eighth and H streets, and head to the future regional transportation center and the Railyards, then head north along Seventh Street before reaching the terminus at Township 9 in the Richards Boulevard Redevelopment Area. The line is expected to begin operating in November 2010.

The line's expansion to the airport isn't expected to be built for eight to 10 years. While local, state and federal funding is expected to be used to build the rest of the line, the first stretch will be financed entirely by local funding, said Mike Wiley, RT General manager.

Measure A sales tax funds will pay for most of the project to build the 1.1 miles of single track and two stations, estimated to cost more than $44 million. The Sacramento Transportation Authority sold bonds for several projects, including this one, and will loan some of the money to RT until the Measure A money becomes available, said Sacramento City Councilman Steve Cohn.

Wiley praised Matsui, Mayor Kevin Johnson, Cohn, Sacramento City Councilman Ray Tretheway and Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson for their support of public transit and light rail.

The green line is expected to bring more than just riders. The line is expected to bring money through economic development by spurring infill development in the Railyards and the River District, and by eventually connecting downtown to the airport, said Cohn and others.

For that reason, as well as its contribution to clean air and reduced traffic congestion, the line truly will be a "green" line, Cohn said.

A station will be added at the Railyards eventually, where 50,000 people are projected to one day live and work. The terminus will be at Township 9, being built by Steve Goodwin and other developers. His company reportedly will pay part of the cost of the station. When asked about the funding breakdown, RT spokesperson Alane Masui pointed only to board meeting documents on the agency's Web site.

"This really is a dream come true for a lot of us who've worked on this," Goodwin said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.