Elk Grove Station
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) and the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC), which manage the Amtrak San Joaquins and the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE), respectively, are jointly partnering on the proposed Valley Rail Sacramento Extension Project, a new passenger rail service between Stockton and Sacramento which is planned to be operational by 2023. This proposed project will expand Amtrak San Joaquins and ACE passenger rail services to the greater Sacramento region with new rail stations and train track improvements along the Union Pacific Railroad’s Sacramento Subdivision. The Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Valley Rail Extension Project was certified by the SJRRC on October 2, 2020, with a future Elk Grove Station site to be studied separately.
Valley Rail Service Plan
The Valley Rail Sacramento Extension Project which proposes new and increased ACE and San Joaquins passenger rail service with five new stations between Stockton and Sacramento.
ABOUT ELK GROVE STATION
The SJJPA and the SJRRC are jointly undertaking the planning, preliminary design, and environmental review of the Elk Grove Station Project. The proposed project would construct a passenger rail station and siding track in the City of Elk Grove to support the new passenger rail service between Stockton and Sacramento. Overall station improvements include the construction of a new platform, a new surface parking lot, a pedestrian overcrossing linking the station to the surface parking lot, removal of approximately 3,900 feet of existing Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) track, construction of approximately 3,900 feet of new UPRR mainline track, and up to 10,000 linear feet of rail siding. The project study limits along UPRR are from just south of Elk Grove Boulevard to Big Horn Boulevard.
The proposed station platform just north of Laguna Boulevard would be located along the existing UPRR Sacramento Subdivision, which is the UPRR rail line that extends from Marysville in the north and Stockton in the south. The station platform would be unattended and would include passenger amenities, such as passenger shelters, benches, lighting, security cameras, signage, ticketing machines, bicycle storage facilities, landscaping, and emergency call boxes.
The surface parking lot for the Elk Grove Station would be constructed on an adjacent approximately 3.0-acre site fronting Dwight Road north of the intersection of Dwight Road and Laguna Boulevard. The station parking lot site currently serves as an RV parking lot for an adjacent self-storage facility at the corner of the intersection of Dwight Road and Laguna Boulevard. The proposed project would require the construction of up to a 10,000-foot-long siding track to accommodate the operational requirements UPRR needs to allow passenger service to run in this corridor with a new station in Elk Grove. The proposed siding track would start just south of Elk Grove Boulevard and extend to just south of Big Horn Boulevard.
THE PROPOSED ELK GROVE STATION AND PARKING LOT LOCATION
The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC) has prepared an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (Pub. Res. Code §§ 21000 et seq.; 14 Cal. Code Regs. §§ 15000 et seq. ["State CEQA Guidelines"]) to evaluate the environmental effects associated with the proposed Elk Grove Station Project (Project). A Draft EIR was prepared and circulated for public review December 3, 2021 to January 18, 2022 consistent with State CEQA Guidelines §15087. The SJRRC received comments on the Draft EIR from local agencies, interested organizations, and members of the public. The SJRRC has prepared responses to all comments received consistent with State CEQA Guidelines §15088. The Final EIR consists of the Draft EIR, comments received on the Draft EIR and a list of commenters, the SJRRC's responses to comments, and text revisions to the Draft EIR. The text revisions to the Draft EIR provides clarifications, amplifications, and insignificant modifications to the Draft EIR text, including resulting from the public review process.
The SJRRC Board of Commissioners will consider the Final EIR prior to making a decision on the Project on April 1, 2022.
Virtual Community Open House held during Project Scoping
The San Joaquin Regional Rails Commission hosted a virtual community open house for the proposed Elk Grove Station project on August 26, 2021. More than 135 community members participated in learning about the proposed Elk Grove Station project, asking questions, and providing feedback. A recording of the presentation is available here.
WHY HAVE AN ELK GROVE STATION?
Valley Rail will be providing new passenger rail connectivity between the Sacramento region, San Joaquin Valley, and the Bay Area. The already congested primary highways between these regions Sacramento are expected to see continued growth and travel demand. One of the fastest growing populations in the state is the Central Valley. By 2040, statewide interregional travel is forecasted to increase by 50.9 percent resulting in 544.7 million two-way trips annually. More than 150 million of those trips are expected to originate, terminate in, or pass through, the Sacramento region and the San Joaquin Valley. Elk Grove is the second largest city in Sacramento County and is a key transportation market in the Sacramento region with a growing population of nearly 180,000. More passenger rail service to/from Elk Grove will provide additional mobility options to Elk Grove residents, reduce traffic congestion and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) along I-5, and help improve regional air quality in the Sacramento region as a result of greater overall Valley Rail ridership with an Elk Grove station.
