cap and trade

Transit and Intercity Rail Funding: Upcoming Workshops

State agencies are seeking input on one more program that will receive funds from California's cap-and-trade system. Guidelines for the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program [PDF] were released in December. Two public workshops will be held next week to gather feedback, one in Los Angeles and one in Sacramento.

By Melanie Curry

3:10 PM PST on January 16, 2015

Capitol Corridor train running through Oakland. Photo: Ale Sasso, Wikimedia — The Capitol Corridor train serves intercity travelers between San Jose and Sacramento; in this photo it’s passing through Oakland. Photo: Ale Sasso, Wikimedia

State agencies are seeking input on one more program that will receive funds from California’s cap-and-trade system. Guidelines for the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program [PDF] were released in December. Two public workshops will be held next week to gather feedback, one in Los Angeles and one in Sacramento.

The stated goals of the program are to fund capital and operational improvements to transit and rail to reduce greenhouse gas emission, increase ridership, integrate the various existing rail services, and improve safety.

The first round of funding will allocate $25 million. Discussions at earlier workshops touched on whether there is enough money to make it worth rail agencies’ time and effort to apply. However, future funding cycles are likely to get more funding as the cap-and-trade program is expected to bring in more money in the next five years.

The guidelines currently cover eligibility criteria, the application and evaluation processes, and the selection process.

The workshops will be held:

Tuesday, January 20, 10 am, at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board Room, One Gateway Plaza, third floor, Los Angeles. [Agenda PDF]
Wednesday, January 21, 10 am, at the California State Capitol, Room 447 (historic building), Sacramento [Agenda PDF]

Comments may also be submitted here.

The draft guidelines are scheduled to be presented to the California Transportation Commission for approval at its January 22 meeting.

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Melanie Curry

Streetsblog California editor Melanie Curry has been thinking about transportation, and how to improve conditions for bicyclists, since her early days commuting by bike to UCLA long ago. She was Managing Editor at the East Bay Express, and edited Access Magazine for the University of California Transportation Center. She also earned her Masters in City Planning from UC Berkeley.

cap and trade | Streetsblog CA

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