SMART scores cash for North Bay freight operations

The California Transportation Commission has approved SMART’s request for $1.45 million to fund a $2.9 million freight rail investment package from the State’s Short Line Railroad Improvement Program, a program to support investments in smaller freight railroad systems.

 

The funds support transitioning freight transportation off of highways and onto railroads, reducing congestion impacts, improving traffic safety, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the movement of goods, according to SMART.

With this State investment, SMART says it will be able to provide additional public benefit from the SMART-publicly owned railroad through investing in freight improvements with funds specifically intended for freight rail projects. 

These funds will be matched with local private investment and will be used to construct modern freight rail spurs, complete with Federal Railroad Administration-required Positive Train Control systems improvements and repairs to the Black Point Rail Bridge over the Petaluma River, the rail agency said.