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State Rail Assistance Program

State Funding

State transportation infrastructure will receive roughly half of new SB 1 funding: $26 billion.

SB 1 Programs

SB 1 augments existing transportation funding programs and creates additional programs that aim to address specific transportation needs across the state.

Program Overview

Senate Bill 1 created the State Rail Assistance (SRA) Program by directing a portion of new revenue specifically to intercity rail and commuter rail.

  • SB 1 directs a 0.5% portion of new diesel sales tax revenue for allocation: half to the 5 commuter rail providers and half to intercity rail corridors
  • Half of revenue is allocated in equal shares to commuter operators through 2019-20, and via guidelines thereafter (about $10.5M to each total over 3 years)
  • Half of revenue is allocated to intercity rail corridors such that each of the existing three corridors receives at least 25% of the intercity rail share (about $13.1M to each over 3 years)
  • Funding is available for capital and operations

This revenue is estimated to be $25 million in 2017-18, $39 million in 2018-19, and $41 million in 2019-20. The majority of program funding is directed by statutory formula to rail operators, with guidelines defining process and timeline for agencies to obtain funding.

2021 Recipients

In November 2021, the California State Transportation Agency updated its approved application list to reflect additional programming of formula funds by commuter and intercity rail recipients, including projects selected with funding from Cycle 2 funding. In total, the SRA Program has awarded funds to 10 agencies with a total of $171.9 million awarded since 2018. View complete list of approved projects to date (PDF).

2020 Recipients

In August 2020, the California State Transportation Agency updated its approved application list to reflect additional programming of formula funds by commuter and intercity rail recipients, as well as the deletion of one project awarded flexible funds that has been discontinued by the sponsoring agency.  In total, the SRA Program has awarded funds to 10 agencies with a total of $97.6 million awarded since 2018.

2019 Recipients

In March 2019, the California State Transportation Agency announced 6 recipients for $13.1 million in State Rail Assistance program funding. These projects add to the $64.2 million approved in 2019, bring the cumulative SRA awards to $77.3 million for projects.

2018 Recipients

In January 2018, the California State Transportation Agency announced 7 recipients for $51.9 million in State Rail Assistance program funding. These projects, which have a total value of $136 million when including funding from other sources, are focused investments by the state to improve commuter and intercity rail service across the state, reduce air pollution and ease traffic congestion. View the summary list of projects (PDF).

In October 2018, California State Transportation Agency approved 6 additional projects to 4 recipients utilizing an additional $12.3 million in State Rail Assistance (SRA) program funding. These projects add to the $51.9 million approved in January 2018, bringing cumulative SRA awards to $64.2 million for projects. View the complete list of 2018 projects (PDF).

Adopted Guidelines and Allocation Request Form