Title
2026 State Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP): Joint Grant Application with Capitol Corridor JPA (CCJPA) (T15029000)
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FileID
File ID: 2026-00921
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Location
Location: 401 I Street, District 4
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution: 1) authorizing the City Manager or designee to submit an application for the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) in collaboration with Capitol Corridor JPA (CCJPA) as lead agency applicant; 2) Upon award of the 2026 Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program grant, the City Manager or designee is authorized to execute the grant agreement and any related grant documents necessary to accept the grant; and 3) upon award of the 2026 Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program grant, the City Manager or designee is authorized to execute agreements and any related documents for reimbursement of environmental, engineering, and construction funds from TIRCP grant funds.
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Contact
Contact: Gregory Taylor, AIA, LEED AP, Project Manager, (916) 808-5268, gtaylor@cityofsacramento.org; Ofelia Avalos, Engineering Services Manager, (916) 808-5054, oavalos@cityofsacramento.org; Department of Public Works
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Presenter
Presenter: None
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Resolution
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) issued a Request for Proposals for the seventh round of the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP). Applications are due May 14, 2026. If approved in this action, the City of Sacramento will be a sub-applicant to the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA); and if successful in the award of funds, the City will include this project under an existing Master Agreement with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for previous TIRCP project awards.
The City, as sub-applicants to the CCJPA, has been awarded TIRCP funding in prior cycles for environmental clearance, design, and construction of improvements at the Sacramento Valley Station (SVS) consistent with the SVS Area Plan approved by Council in 2021. The elements proposed for inclusion in the upcoming Cycle 8 funding round are focused on improving pedestrian access from the SVS through the historic Chinatown, located between I Street, 3rd Street, J Street, and 5th Street. A Fourth Street Pedestrian Access feasibility report was prepared in 2019. The City’s portion of the request is the following: funding for environmental clearance, engineering design, and construction for a pedestrian and bike bridgeway and accessible access improvements in the City right-of-way of the former 4th Street between I Street and J Street, and associated landscape and lighting improvements.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The recommendation in this report is consistent with the City of Sacramento General Plan goals to improve system connectivity and promote economic and infill development. The City has developed a facility plan for expanding regional bus access to the station which meet the service needs for the station outlined in the 2018 State Rail Plan for increasing for intercity passenger rail and regional bus networks with milestones in 2022, 2027 and 2040.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: None.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations:
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): The pursuit of grant funds is not subject to the provisions of CEQA. Under Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines, CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Applying for funding is an administrative action which will have no effect on the environment and is therefore not subject to CEQA review. Appropriate CEQA review for individual projects will take place as part of project development. If the grant is funded with federal funds, actions will need to also comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
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Sustainability
Sustainability: The projects are consistent with sustainability goals of promoting walking by developing a universally accessible, safe, convenient, integrated, and well-connected transportation system. Transportation is also responsible for 57% of Sacramento’s local greenhouse gas emissions, the single largest sector. Providing safe, walkable, and bikeable transportation alternatives helps to reduce single-occupant vehicle use and contribute towards Sacramento’s climate change goals.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: These projects, if funded, will be reviewed by the Active Transportation Commission and the Disabilities Advisory Commission as part of the public engagement during the project delivery. The 4th Street bike/pedestrian access project in Chinatown convened four public meetings, including local property owners, local residents, and the Benevolent Family Association between May 2017 to October 2019.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: The SVS is currently the third busiest train station in California and the busiest CCJPA station, located adjacent to the central business district and at the heart of a developing new infill development area in the Downtown Railyards. With limited available sources of local funding to meet the City’s goals to advance transportation safety and mobility options, grant funding is essential to deliver projects. The City is not eligible to apply directly for TIRCP funding but is able to be a sub-applicant and this grant request reflects the regional utility and related benefits of rail and transit services and active transportation (bicycles and pedestrian) mobility access. The funding program requires that the City Council authorize the list of projects with a resolution and that the City Manager or their designee sign the applications.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Projects applying for the TIRCP do not require a minimum match. If awarded, Caltrans will transfer awarded grant funds to the City project components. The Sacramento Intermodal Transportation Facility Project (T15029000) has sufficient funding for ineligible costs to support the grant.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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Background
Background The City and region have identified expansion of the Sacramento Valley Station (SVS) and historic depot and its surrounding land uses into a regional transportation facility to serve multiple modes of transportation, including intercity passenger rail, bus services, and a hub for regional light rail service, bus service, and bike and pedestrian trails.
The City has taken the lead to develop this regional project through multiple phases. Phase 1, Track Relocation, completed in 2012, moved and expanded the mainline rail tracks and related operations to the north, improving passenger and freight train efficiency and services with major upgrades to passenger rail facilities. Phase 2 included therehabilitation and renovation of the historic station building, and was completed in 2017. Phase 3 is the current phase that focuses on expansion of transportation infrastructure and site development into a larger intermodal center located near the relocated passenger rail infrastructure with a vibrant destination district outlined the SVS Area Plan.
The Sacramento Valley Station (SVS) Area Plan was accepted by City Council April 6, 2021, and the plan elements incorporated into the Railyards Specific Plan and CEQA analysis to facilitate the development of the SVS Transit Center to transform the city-owned parcel to accommodate the expansion of all service modes, particularly bus, light rail, and bike access with future housing, hotel, retail, and office uses.
In 2020, the City began a partnership with Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority to seek capital grant transportation funds through the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) to fund the transportation elements of the SVS Area Plan as well as offsite mobility and transportation projects that improve mobility access to the station. The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) with Caltrans Rail Division, developed the 2018 State Rail Plan that identifies SVS as a major transportation hub to regional buses and local transit, seamlessly and efficiently to the statewide rail network. To date, through four TIRCP funding cycles, the City has secured more than $76 million in funding for critical projects that support the goals of the state rail plan and provide greater mobility choice for Sacramento residents and support the clean-are and carbon reduction goals of the city and region.
The CalSTA TIRCP grant guidelines state that “the TIRCP was created…to provide grants from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) to fund transformative capital improvements that will modernize California’s intercity, commuter, and urban rail systems, and bus and ferry transit systems, to significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, vehicle miles traveled, and congestion.”
The City’s portion of the TIRCP grant request with CCJPA will not exceed $15 million in total for the following project:
Funds for environmental clearance and engineering design for the construction of a pedestrian and bike bridgeway and accessible access improvements in the City Right-of-Way of the former 4th Street between I Street and J Street. This project will build upon concepts identified in the 2019 Fourth Street Pedestrian Access Feasibility Report conducted by Public Works and will include new information from a 2023 area study led by the Office of Innovation and Economic Development. Both studies had extensive community engagement with residents and property owners.
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