STOCKTON, Calif. — The parent agency of Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail service has received $57 million in state funding for planned extension of ACE service from Ceres to Turlock, Calif.
The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission says the funds for the 10-mile southward extension come from the state’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program and will go toward the Valley Rail program, which involves improvements for and expansion of ACE and Amtrak San Joaquin service. The extension to Turlock is part of a program aiming to eventually extend ACE to Merced, Calif., where it would connect with the state’s high speed rail project.
The money represents “much-needed funding to the San Joaquin Valley where residents need multi-modal travel options,” Stacey Mortensen, executive director of the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission and San Joaquins Joint Powers Authority, said in a press release. “The local communities are excited to be connected to the statewide rail network and have access to a variety of economic opportunities.”
