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AB-1226 Capitol Corridor rail line: capital improvements: appropriation.(2021-2022)

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Date Published: 02/19/2021 09:00 PM
AB1226:v99#DOCUMENT


CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 1226

Introduced by Assembly Member McCarty

February 19, 2021

An act to add Section 14076.9 to the Government Code, relating to transportation, and making an appropriation therefor.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1226, as introduced, McCarty. Capitol Corridor rail line: capital improvements: appropriation.
Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to contract with Amtrak for intercity rail passenger services and provides funding for these services from the Public Transportation Account. Existing law authorizes the department, subject to approval of the Secretary of Transportation, to enter into an interagency transfer agreement under which a joint powers board assumes responsibility for administering the state-funded intercity rail service in a particular corridor and associated feeder bus services. Existing law creates the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Board, which is the governing board of the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority and is responsible for administering the Colfax-Sacramento-Suisun City-Oakland-San Jose rail corridor, which is defined as the Capital Corridor.
This bill would appropriate an unspecified amount from the General Fund without regard to fiscal years to the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority to invest in capital improvements for the Capitol Corridor.
Vote: 2/3   Appropriation: YES   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) As the population in northern California continues to grow, challenges in transportation, housing, land use, jobs, and the environment have crossed regional boundaries, linking cities, counties, and regions together.
(b) Increasingly, the San Francisco Bay area and the Sacramento region are growing together into a single, economic megaregion.
(c) Because these challenges cross the boundaries of multiple jurisdictions, the Legislature must approach problems from a megaregional perspective. For example:
(1) As housing markets blend together, megaregional transportation options offer residents choices regarding housing affordability and proximity to work.
(2) As the labor markets of the two regions merge, improving transit options will be paramount in northern California’s commitment to serving the economy of the regions.
(3) Reducing automobile passenger trips and vehicle miles traveled reduces roadway congestion and greenhouse gas and vehicle emissions, and supports the state’s target of an 80-percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2050.
(d) In contrast to our freeway systems, which are largely built out, passenger rail has an unrealized potential to transform mobility and drive economic growth.
(e) Passenger rail trips are expected to increase more than tenfold, to more than 1,300,000 trips per day in the state by 2040.
(f) Mode shift from passenger cars to rail is expected to increase by twofold over the current share by 2040.
(g) Average heavy rail transit produces .22 pounds of carbon dioxide per passenger mile traveled compared to a passenger car, which produces .96 pounds of carbon dioxide per passenger mile, creating a 76-percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
(h) In order to lead the state’s efforts in curbing climate change, and to grow sustainably and resiliently, the state must invest in a high-performance rail system.
(i) The Capitol Corridor is an intercity passenger service between the Sacramento region and the San Francisco Bay area serving more than 500,000 passengers annually.
(j) The Capitol Corridor is the fastest growing intercity passenger line in the nation, with a 25-percent increase in ridership over the past five years.

SEC. 2.

 Section 14076.9 is added to the Government Code, to read:

14076.9.
 (a) The sum of _____ dollars is hereby appropriated from the General Fund without regard to fiscal years to the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority to invest in capital improvements for the Capitol Corridor rail line to meet the existing and growing demand of riders of the Capitol Corridor.
(b) For purposes of subdivision (a), “capital improvements” may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:
(1) Right-of-way acquisitions to provide a dedicated passenger train only track.
(2) Double tracking to provide track capacity that supports 15-minute service headways.
(3) Grade separations to improve safety and reduce traffic impacts caused by at-grade crossings.
(4) Construction of new passenger stations to improve modal connectivity.
(5) Construction of passenger bypasses to separate freight tracks adjacent to existing main tracks, eliminating conflicts between freight trains accessing ports and passenger trains traveling through.
(6) Station modifications to accommodate new track alignment and center platforms.
(7) Rail and tie upgrades to improve tracks and ensure their readiness for 90, 110, and 150 mile-per-hour operations.
(8) Signaling system upgrades to allow trains to safely run closer together.
(9) Curve straightening and grade leveling to allow trains to safely run closer together.