The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in partnership with the California State Agency (CalSTA), released on Jan. 7 its final 2024 State Rail Plan, which officials said, “lays out a strategy for investments and needed steps designed to increase California’s economic growth, improve quality of life, improve equity of the state’s most vulnerable and impacted communities, and advance the state’s ambitious climate action goals.”
The State Rail Plan (download below), which is developed through a collaboration between state agencies, regional and local governments, transportation agencies, commuter rail operators, freight railroads, and other partners across California, is a long-range vision of statewide investments that aims to create up to 900,000 jobs and a zero-emission, fully interconnected rail and transit network by 2050. The network includes intercity, regional, and local transit systems to make traveling by train a more attractive option compared to car or air travel—giving Californians options when it comes to traveling around the state, Caltrans noted.
This vision, the agency says, will also benefit communities historically underserved by transportation infrastructure by increasing access to affordable and frequent rail services. The state envisions passenger rail and transit, which combined currently serve only 2% of miles traveled in California, to increase to 20% of all miles traveled by 2050 on a zero-emission fleet. This, Caltrans says, “would shift nearly 200 million daily passenger miles from highways to the statewide rail and transit network, significantly reducing road congestion and carbon pollution.”
According to Caltrans, this plan will “ensure goods movement needs are met while pursuing opportunities to shift freight to rail.” The effort to build this zero-emission train network throughout California has already begun.
Electrified high-speed rail systems currently under construction will “form the backbone of the state’s passenger rail network, which will anchor longer distance trips,” the agency noted. The plan identifies priority projects to complete high-speed systems and connect them with intercity and regional rail to expand the reach and impact of the investments.
“This plan builds off California’s commitment to progressing inter-city passenger rail service and advancing mobility, economic and environmental benefits,” said California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) CEO Ian Choudri. “As a foundational part of the state’s integrated rail network, California’s clean, electrified high-speed rail project will connect the Bay Area to Los Angeles through the Central Valley, extending to local and regional networks throughout the state.”
In June 2024, the first self-powered, zero emission passenger train in North America arrived in San Bernardino County and is scheduled to enter service later this year. In August, Caltrain launched California’s first electric rail system on the San Francisco Peninsula, and full electric service along the San Francisco-San Jose corridor began in September. Both regional projects, Caltrans says, “exemplify California’s commitment to developing an environmentally friendly, fast, safe and reliable rail network outlined in the Rail Plan.”
The plan also aligns with the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI), and the California Transportation Plan 2050. Along with reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the Rail Plan outlines measures to protect rail infrastructure from climate risks such as sea-level rise, wildfires and flooding to ensure long-term resilience.
According to Caltrans, the plan envisions a direct capital investment of $310 billion from local, state, federal, and private funding, with an estimated economic return of more than $540 billion by 2050.
