SMART
The State of California has recommended awarding SMART $81 million to extend its passenger rail service to communities in northern Sonoma County, SMART reported June 7. The funding would come from two grant programs—Solutions for Congested Corridors (SCCP) and Local Partnership Competitive (LPPC)—and be matched by $187.7 million in other secured federal, state, regional and local funds, according to the railroad. The SCCP award includes another $6 million for the acquisition of a zero-emission locomotive. SMART said these awards would help bring “environmentally friendly and modern rail service” from the newly opened Windsor Station north through Healdsburg to the northern Healdsburg city limits” (see map above).
“These project grant awards, led by the California State Transportation Agency, the California Transportation Commission, and in collaboration with the Department of Transportation (Caltrans), will significantly increase transit options for Bay Area and Northern Sonoma County residents and visitors,” SMART said. “The extension will provide a sustainable alternative to car travel by expanding passenger rail service and supporting active transportation through a new paved bicycle and pedestrian pathway. The new rail infrastructure is also planned to support future short line freight services, enhancing the region’s overall connectivity. Rail elements of the project bring essential upgrades such as new tracks, a new station, improved crossings, Positive Train Control (PTC) … technology, and expanded broadband capacity.”
According to SMART, the California Transportation Commission is scheduled to consider the recommended award for adoption at its June 16-27, 2025, meeting in San Francisco. The SMART Board is expected to consider awarding a Progressive Design Build delivery contract for the project in fall 2025, with construction work beginning as early as spring 2026 and wrapping up by the end of 2028.
SMART on May 31 officially began passenger rail service to its new Windsor station, as part of the Windsor Rail System Extension Project, a 3.1-mile extension from the northern terminus at Sonoma County, Airport Station to the town of Windsor.
SCCRTC
The Santa Cruz Local on June 6 reported that a potential passenger rail project between Santa Cruz and Pajaro, Calif., “could cost $4.3 billion to build, according to a summary of an upcoming report from the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission.”
The Zero Emission Passenger Rail and Trail (ZEPRT) Project proposes new service and stations on approximately 22 miles of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line and completion of the final 12 miles of a 32-mile Coastal Rail Trail (see map, top).
According to SCCRTC, the project “aims to take advantage of the publicly owned rail right-of-way to provide passenger rail service to connect the most populated areas of Santa Cruz County to each other and to the greater region, as well as provide integrated intercity travel options for riders on the Central Coast.” Passengers would be able to bypass Highway 1 and local arterials that are highly congested.
Work on the project report began in 2023 and is expected to be completed in August, the Santa Cruz Local said.
According to the nonprofit news outlet, a draft of the project report’s executive summary, released June 6, said:
- “Rail service is projected to cost $4.3 billion to build and would cost $31 million to $41 million to operate annually.
- “An estimated 3,500 to 6,000 people would ride the train each weekday.
- “The ride between Santa Cruz and Pajaro would take an estimated 40-45 minutes.
- “The ‘Stadler FLIRT train set’ used by the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority to Redlands ‘has been selected for preliminary study purposes,’ according to the summary. It has room for about 116 seated and 118 standing passengers, it is relatively quiet and can be operated by battery, hydrogen, diesel or hybrid, the report stated.
- “Twenty eight of 33 bridges on the track are recommended for replacement. Costs for bridge repair and replacement could reach nearly $1 billion, transportation staff said in May. Friday’s summary did not detail potential costs for bridge repair and replacement.”
The executive summary lists nine potential stations at Natural Bridges Drive; downtown Santa Cruz at Depot Park; Seabright; 17th Avenue in Live Oak; Capitola; Cabrillo College; Aptos; downtown Watsonville; and Pajaro, according to the Santa Cruz Local.
LACMTA
LACMTA on June 6 celebrated the official opening of the LAX/Metro Transit Center station with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The transit agency said it is now ready to welcome global fans headed to Los Angeles for major events, such as the FIFA World Cup 26™, Super Bowl LXI, and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games “forever changing how car-centric Angelenos travel to and from LAX.”
The grand opening of this station, LACMTA said, marks the eighth project completed in its “Twenty-Eight by ’28 initiative,” which will help improve the region’s transit infrastructure in time for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The LAX/Metro Transit Center Station will help facilitate the movement of athletes, officials, and spectators during these global events.
The transit center is described as having a large-scale, open concept. “With continuous swooping canopies guiding users’ views through large open spaces, the station reinforces intuitive wayfinding and walking access to buses and light rail trains, and the soon-to-be-opened Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), Automated People Mover (APM),” LACMTA reported.
Located at Aviation Blvd./96th St., the LAX/Metro Transit Center Station connects LACMTA’s C and K light rail lines, six LACMTA bus lines and eight municipal bus lines, including Beach Cities, Big Blue Bus, Culver City Bus, GTrans, Torrance Transit and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) shuttles to and from the terminals (see map, right). Metro Micro will also serve this station.
The station spans more than 1,100 feet from north to south. It features a bus plaza, bike hub and a customer service center; the widest light rail platform in the LACMTA system; security coverage monitored 24/7; and numerous environmentally friendly features, such as energy-efficient lighting and landscaping with native plants.
When the APM opens and connects to LACMTA in 2026, riders will have a more direct, easier connection to LACMTA’s public transportation system, with a total of six stops—three in the terminal, one at the LAX/Metro Transit Center Station, one at economy parking, and one at the Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility (ConRAC), which is directly across the street from the transit center. As riders await access to the APM, LAWA will provide shuttles every 10 minutes. The shuttle’s schedule will be based on the operating schedules for the C and K light rail lines and municipal bus routes serving the new station, “ensuring seamless travel to and from the airport helping to alleviate traffic congestion around LAX,” according to LACMTA.
“For more than half a century, Angelenos have been dreaming about a rail connection to LAX airport—and that day has finally come,” LACMTA CEO Stephanie Wiggins said. “Our LAX/Metro Transit Center Station not only enhances the travel experience for millions of visitors to Los Angeles but also serves as a key piece of our ongoing efforts to build a more sustainable and efficient transportation network for our city. We look forward to welcoming millions of Angelenos and visitors to the LAX/Metro Transit Center in the coming months and years, and we can’t wait for the final link in the chain—LAX’s People Mover.”
