A railway expansion could make Bay Area-Sacramento commute easier by 2026. Here’s the plan
It may soon be a lot easier to commute from the Bay Area to Elk Grove and into Sacramento, especially if you like trains.
The Altamont Corridor Express (ACE), a commuter rail service, plans to include Elk Grove as one of its stops from downtown San Jose through Sacramento. The expansion is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
According to a news release, the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, which manages ACE, closed escrow on land for a station in Elk Grove late last month.
The deal for land marked a major step in the multiyear effort, construction on which is expected to begin around the end of 2024 as the final designs become set.
The agreement would add Elk Grove, among other cities, as stops on the ACE and San Joaquin rail services, connecting the Central Valley and Silicon Valley to the Sacramento region.
“A new train station in Elk Grove is not just a transportation hub, but a gateway for connecting with our untapped potential,” Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen said in a news release.
ACE rail service currently has service stations that go from Stockton to Lathrop-Manteca, Tracy, Livermore, Pleasanton, Fremont, Santa Clara and San Jose.
San Joaquin’s rail service goes from Stockton to Bakersfield — making stops in Modesto, Turlock-Denair area, Merced and Fresno along the way.
Both are expected to add stations traveling from Elk Grove through the Sacramento area, including Sacramento City College, midtown, Old North Sacramento, Natomas and Sacramento International Airport.
Singh Allen confirmed in a text message to The Sacramento Bee that the ACE train station in Elk Grove would be located near Dwight Road and Laguna Boulevard.
“Residents can take the train to watch future 49er games,” Singh-Allen said in a text message. The San Francisco 49ers play their home games at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, one of the existing stops on the ACE line.
The service would also feature a dedicated shuttle connection between Sacramento International Airport and downtown Sacramento.
“The station will close the gap between Elk Grove and the Bay Area, remove barriers like a lengthy commute for top talent, and provide further incentive for businesses to start in, or relocate to, Elk Grove,” Singh Allen said in a news release.
Current ACE contract work also includes engineering and property assessments for potential station and track work locations in Manteca, Ripon, Modesto, Ceres, Turlock, the Livingston-Atwater area and Merced.
The San Joaquin line is looking to add Madera and Oakley on its line that extends to Oakland.
Additional contracts will be awarded in the future for stations and associated track work, officials said.
