APPROVE funds transfer agreement with Caltrans for Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program funds allocated to Positive Train Control implementation on the Gilroy-Salinas rail corridor.

In 2018, Caltrans received a federal rail safety grant to fund implementation of Positive Train Control technology in the Oakland-San Luis Obispo rail corridor. TAMC approved using a portion of the Transit and Intercity Rail Capitol Program grant funds as a match to that federal grant. This agreement will enable Caltrans to use that state funding to move ahead on the safety project.

The Federal Department of Transportation (US DOT) approved an $11.34 million grant for Caltrans, under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant Program to implement Positive Train Control (PTC) on the Coast Rail corridor between Oakland and San Luis Obispo. The $11.34 million in federal railroad safety funds is leveraged by a $6.25 million state/local commitment of funding for the corridor, including $1.615 million from TAMC's Transit and Intercity Rail Capitol Program (TIRCP) grant award.

As part of the Rail Extension to Monterey County project, TAMC has secured state environmental clearance and state funding for improvements to the Salinas to Gilroy rail corridor (37.6 rail miles). In April 2018, TAMC secured a state grant from the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) totaling $10.148 million. This amount includes $1.615 million as TAMC's share for implementing Positive Train Control (PTC) on the Salinas-Gilroy corridor. PTC is a rail safety technology to prevent train crashes. A federal mandate for any rail corridor that carries more than two passenger round trips, PTC is an important safety element of any rail project.

In August 2018, Caltrans secured federal funding for the 187-mile Coast Rail corridor between San Luis Obispo and Gilroy and between Santa Clara and Oakland, to complete the PTC implementation on the entire statewide rail network, through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) program. In September 2018, TAMC approved allocating $1.615 million from the TIRCP award designated for PTC in the Salinas-Gilroy corridor as a match for the federal funding, on the condition that Caltrans would be the project lead.

The coast rail corridor is the only rail corridor in the state of California that does not yet have the PTC technology in place – with this investment, the whole state rail network will be covered. Installing the crash prevention technology will enable an increase in passenger trains on the corridor. Caltrans is the lead on the PTC project, coordinating with Union Pacific Railroad, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and local agencies, including TAMC. Caltrans will be the lead on completing the National Environmental Policy Act requirements for this project, which will be a Categorical Exclusion, as the work is entirely within the existing railroad right-of-way. The PTC project will therefore be separate from TAMC's Rail Extension to Monterey County project, which does not have federal funding. The project schedule shows planning in 2019, design in 2020, and installation in 2021.

The attached funds transfer agreement will enable Caltrans to proceed with design using this local funding match.