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Sacramento Regional Transit is moving forward with a project that has been discussed for years: a new rail line connecting downtown Sacramento with West Sacramento, crossing right over the Tower Bridge.
SacRT is calling it their Downtown Riverfront Streetcar Project. The line would create a nearly 2-mile light rail connection between Sacramento Valley Station, where Amtrak stops, and the riverfront area near Sutter Health’s baseball park.
This comes after more than a decade of planning and revisions. The project is currently in public review.
Despite the name, SacRT says riders should not expect a new type of train.
Jessica Gonzalez, a spokesperson for SacRT, said the vehicles would be identical to the light rail trains already in use across the region.
“The Downtown Riverfront Streetcar Project would be the same as our brand new low-floor light rail vehicles,” Gonzalez said. “So you wouldn’t really see a difference. It’s really in the naming of the project. It was called a streetcar, but essentially it will be the same thing as our new low-floor light rail trains that you currently see on the Gold Line.”
Gonzalez said the trains for this route would be dedicated to this line rather than circulating through the rest of the train system.
Proposed map for the Downtown Streetcar project. Service is expected in 2029, according to a Sacramento Regional Transit spokesperson.Courtesy of Sacramento Regional Transit
“It will have its own track, but it will [similarly] be in some of that downtown area sharing lanes with traffic,” Gonzalez said.
The project is expected to cost more than $100 million and will be funded through a mix of state and federal grants. SacRT says the goal is to improve everyday mobility, not just access to baseball games.
Sacramento City Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum represents the downtown area. He said he supports the expansion and connecting Sacramento with West Sacramento. At the same time, he said he still has concerns, such as parking and neighborhood impacts, that should be addressed before construction starts.
“I am working through some pretty significant potential impacts and concerns about the alignment, the line, the way the line is currently proposed to go. That, as of right now are beyond problematic. It’s going to be a bit of a challenge,” he said.
Still, Pluckebaum said the project’s concept has clear benefits.
“Any opportunity that we have to increase transit connectivity, especially across the Tower Bridge from Sacramento County to Yolo County, from the city of Sacramento to West Sacramento, is a great opportunity,” he said.
But he said details around how the line fits into existing streets remain unresolved.
“There are still quite a few details that need to be worked out about how the lines run, where the train stacking goes and what those impacts on the streets where the lines are proposed,” Pluckebaum said. “How [does] that actually impact things like existing bike lanes, parking, and access into buildings that the light rail would pass?”
West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero said the project could support both daily travel and other destinations along the riverfront.
“It would help provide a connection to entertainment venues that are close to the riverfront on both sides,” Guerrero said.
She said the connection could also make it easier for West Sacramentans to reach jobs and the train station.
“It would also connect people to the Sacramento Valley Station, which is in downtown Sacramento and also to jobs that are expected in the Railyards and in the venues, [and] for those that [work] state jobs,” Guerrero said.
Guerrero said the city expects the project to get some cars off the road.
“We’re anticipating that people will be able to get out of their cars and get on public transportation,” she said.
SacRT says construction could begin as early as later this year. Service is planned to start in 2029. SacRT is seeking public feedback on the project through Feb. 12.
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