Elk Grove residents to get rail station update at Tuesday virtual town forum

Elk Grove residents will get an update on a new rail station project and the project’s environmental impacts at a virtual forum on Tuesday.

The proposed Elk Grove Station planned for Laguna Boulevard and Dwight Road is part of San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission’s $1 billion Valley Rail Extension Project connecting its passenger rail service from Stockton to Sacramento. The project and proposed site in west Elk Grove are targeted for 2023.

San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission is hosting the virtual public meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Officials will provide details on the station proposal as well as highlights of a recently released draft environmental impact report. A 45-day review period for the EIR ends Jan. 18.

The Stockton-based rail commission and San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority have teamed on the extension project to expand Amtrak San Joaquins and Altamont Corridor Express service north into the Sacramento region.

The rail commission owns and operates Altamont Corridor Express with service from Stockton to the Silicon Valley and San Jose. The commission also manages Amtrak’s busy San Joaquins route.

The unattended station will have a new platform, ticketing machines, as well as a parking lot and landscaping. Benches, lighting, security cameras and bicycle storage facilities will also be installed, according to rail officials.

Other potential train stops along a new Stockton-to-Sacramento route include sites near Sacramento City College, midtown and north Sacramento, and in Natomas, where a shuttle connection would take passengers to nearby Sacramento International Airport.

Review and comment on the draft report at the project’s website. Printed copies of the report are also available at Elk Grove City Hall, 8401 Laguna Palms Way; Elk Grove Library, 8900 Elk Grove Blvd.; and Franklin Community Library, 10055 Franklin High Road.

Formal comments for the draft EIR should be in writing and sent to elkgrovestation@gmail.com or by mail to: San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, 949 E. Channel St., Stockton, CA 95202

This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 3:27 PM.

Darrell Smith

The Sacramento Bee

916-321-1040

Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.