Major funding has been secured to improve rail infrastructure along the Central Coast.
The state awarded Central Coast government and transit agencies over $63 million dollars in funding for rail improvements. Monies from the California State Transportation Agency will help pay for projects in San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.
Peter Rogers, executive director of the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG), said the new grant will fund upgrades to stations and railways along the Central Coast to increase accessibility and reliability of rail travel.
“We’re advocating to get additional round trips from the south of the Pacific Surfliner trains to San Luis Obispo and in the future being able to connect with cross platform transfers with services from the north,” said Rogers.
Among the planned improvements are a new rail station in downtown King City, upgrades to crossovers that allow trains to switch between parallel tracks, and to sidings, which are short sections of parallel track that allow meeting trains to safely pass each other.
According to Rogers, making the enhancements will be a lengthy process. Engineering and construction is expected to take up to three years.
SLOCOG said it hopes the new rail services will be operational by 2028, ahead of the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.