The studies hope to answer how much demand there could be for this type of service and how much each could cost to build and operate.<\/p>\n
At least in the city of Fresno, \u201clight rail was the number one requested project\u201d in community members\u2019 responses to surveys the COG sent out a few years ago for long-range transportation planning, Herman told The Fresno Bee. The COG launched the feasibility studies with the help of two grants \u2014 a $700,000 grant<\/a> for the urban rail study and a $300,000 grant<\/a> for the regional rail study.<\/p>\n Fresno has explored the potential for light rail systems multiple times in the last 60 years, though the city hasn\u2019t had a street railcar service since the 1930s. The idea historically has run into resistance from the Board of Supervisors and those who favored financing freeway expansion rather than alternative transit, the nonprofit newsroom Fresnoland<\/a> wrote last year.<\/p>\n But this time, city leaders are also hoping to see a high-speed rail station in downtown Fresno by 2033. They believe its arrival will boost the economy of downtown Fresno, where they also want a new soccer stadium built in the coming years and a housing boom that triples the area\u2019s population to 10,000 residents. Connecting the high-speed rail station to other modes of regional and local transit could be key to the high-speed rail station area\u2019s development.<\/p>\n \u201cI do believe there is a future in Fresno and Clovis for a light rail system, but it will be determined by population increases, density and demand,\u201d Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said in a statement to The Bee.<\/p>\n The San Joaquin Valley Railroad tracks already connect small western Fresno County cities \u2014 including Firebaugh, Mendota, San Joaquin and Kerman \u2014 to the city of Fresno. The same track system approaches Fresno from the east, connecting it to Sanger, Reedley and the Tulare County city of Dinuba.<\/p>\n There are also freight tracks stretching south from Fresno to Fowler, Selma and Kingsburg.<\/p>\n Herman said the regional rail study is focused on evaluating a service that uses this existing freight rail infrastructure to also serve passengers, as they did in the past.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do think they\u2019re an underutilized asset in the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The COG has created a website for the regional rail study where county residents can submit comments<\/a> about it. The site says the study is looking at a zero-emissions system, which produces no air pollution and is faster and quieter than traditional trains.<\/p>\n Each city within the system \u2014 a sort of Amtrak-like service focused on Fresno County, the website calls it \u2014 could have its own station.<\/p>\n A Fresno-Clovis light rail could connect the future high-speed rail station to the area\u2019s major activity centers, according to a COG report from last month<\/a>. That could mean Fresno State and Fresno City College, as well as major retail corridors.<\/p>\n Herman said an important connection would run between downtown and the growing Fresno airport, which could also make business gains from the arrival of the high-speed rail station<\/p>\n He said the study will examine the city\u2019s layout for residential and commercial areas. It\u2019ll evaluate the bus ridership levels that exist today and how much additional ridership light rail could generate.<\/p>\n A likely route would travel down Blackstone Avenue, the Fresno area\u2019s highest bus ridership corridor, Herman said. The county\u2019s long-range transit plan in 2019<\/a> also proposed Shaw Avenue, which travels past Fresno State and into Clovis, as a corridor in need of enhanced transit services.<\/p>\n Though the ridership potential of a Fresno-Clovis urban light rail system is not yet known, Herman said light rail is generally more attractive to riders than buses.<\/p>\n \u201cThis could go a number of different ways,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don\u2019t know at this point whether it would be feasible. That\u2019s what the study has set out to figure out.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n![\"One](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SAC_BAS_240612_TRAIN_7351.JPG\" "\\"SAC_BAS_240612_TRAIN_7351.JPG\\"")
One of Sacramento Regional Transit\u2019s new S700 low-floor light rail train awaits riders at the Township 9 station in Sacramento on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Bailey Stover bstover@sacbee.com Zero-emissions regional rail could connect 10 towns to downtown Fresno<\/p>\n The Historic Folsom light rail station on March 27, 2025. In January 2025, Sacramento Regional Transit said its Folsom trains would run every 15 minutes. Emma Hall ehall@sacbee.com Urban light rail could connect downtown Fresno, airport, Blackstone corridor<\/p>\n
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