Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program Cycle 6 2023- Existing Projects

Purpose

The Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) was created by Senate Bill 862 and modified by Senate Bill 9 to provide grants from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) to fund transformative capital improvements that will modernize California’s intercity, commuter, and urban rail systems, and bus and ferry transit systems, to significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases vehicle miles traveled, and congestion.

Description

The TIRCP was created to fund transformative capital improvements that modernize California’s intercity rail, bus (including feeder buses to intercity rail services, as well as vanpool and micro transit services that are eligible to report as public transit to the Federal Transit Administration), ferry, and rail transit systems (collectively referred to as transit services or systems inclusive of all aforementioned modes unless otherwise specified) to achieve all of the following policy objectives, as codified in Section 75220(a) of the PRC: (1) Reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (2) Expand and improve transit service to increase ridership (3) Integrate the rail service of the state’s various rail operations, including integration with the high‐speed rail system (4) Improve transit safety Additionally, Section 75221(c) of the PRC codifies a programmatic goal to provide at least 25 percent of available funding to projects that provide a direct, meaningful, and assured benefit to disadvantaged communities, consistent with the objectives of Senate Bill 535. Assembly Bill 1550 provides further requirements related to ensuring investments meet the needs of priority populations, a term used to cover disadvantaged communities, low-income communities and low-income households. Investments made by TIRCP are expected to collectively meet or exceed the requirements in Assembly Bill 1550. Funding categories unique to TIRCP Cycle 6, as established by Assembly Bill 180, are below where additional guidance can be found in the TIRCP Guidelines and Call for Projects. • Existing TIRCP Projects Leveraging Federal and Local Funds Reserve: Set‑aside funding for existing TIRCP project awards (TIRCP Cycle 1-4) intended for projects that can demonstrate a supplemental state grant would leverage or maintain an identified source of significant local or federal funding. • Major Projects Project Development Reserve: Set-aside funding for projects seeking to enter or already have entered a federal project development program, such as the Capital Investment Grant Program at the Federal Transit Administration or the Corridor Development Program at the Federal Railroad Administration. • High-Priority Grade Crossing Improvement and Separation Projects: Set‑aside funding seeks to maximize safety benefits and reduce or eliminate conflicts between road users and railroads, as well as provide state funding to leverage federal investment for grade crossing improvement and separation projects. This one-time High-Priority Grade Crossing Improvement and Separation set-aside funding is intended to advance projects that align with the California State Rail Plan, the California Freight Mobility Plan (where applicable), as well as the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI) climate action and equity goals.