Federal funding approved for rail project stretching from Bay Area to the Central Coast

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION-TV) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced it will distribute $1 million to the California Department of Transportation for expanding and improving railway service for sections along the Central Coast, San Jose and between Northern California and Nevada.

Chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) and United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) recognized the need for more adequate transportation in the Salinas Valley area, and as a result, voted in favor the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“We are particularly pleased that federal and state governments recognize the importance of the growing Salinas Valley area and its transit needs," they wrote in a press release. "We will continue to advocate for more projects like this one that benefit Salinas, Watsonville, Hollister and/or other cities that can often be overlooked by their larger neighbors.”

The proposed rail corridor includes sections between San Jose and San Luis Obispo as well as extensions to San Francisco, Salinas and Novato, as well as two Nevada cities. The project also includes an assessment and phase-in of rail segments from San Jose to Salinas and Santa Cruz to Watsonville.

The FRA funding will be coming from the Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) Program, which supports the planning and development of passenger rail services.