Modesto Transit Center Renovation and Planned Expansion
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Photo: Pi.1415926535
MODESTO, Calif. – The Modesto Transit Center celebrates a recent renovation and plans to expand rail service to the depot.
Modesto Transit Center celebrated its recent renovation Thursday. Currently, the center acts as a bus service hub, but there are plans to expand the Altamont Corridor Express to the hub by late 2026.
The Modesto Transit Center previously acted as a hub for passenger service up until the early 1970s. Currently, the Altamont Corridor Express runs trips between Stock and San Jose and back for commuters. With state and federal funding totaling $1.8 billion, it plans to expand in surrounding Sacramento, Stanislaus, and Merced counties.
Modesto Mayor Sue Zwahlen stated that the use of Modesto Transit Center as a “mixed-use development” would allow for “affordable housing for working and commuting professionals. . . free of the stress of gridlocked traffic.”
The remodeling of the Modesto Transit Center came from a $5.23 million contract between the city of Modesto and Simile Construction Services. Keeping the original Mission Revival architecture intact, Simile Construction Services worked to refurbish the tile floor and paint the walls, as well as install heating, air conditioning, and new restrooms. The depot’s roof also saw patchwork along with the exterior stucco.
Dating back three decades, the bus bays within the depot received a refurbishment as well with “new lighting, landscaping, security cameras, and paint.” The chief executive officer for SRTA, Adam Barth reinforced the usefulness of the refurbishments, stating that the “new system will make it feel safer, be more comfortable. . . It even provides more plugs for people to charge their phones.”
The Altamont Corridor Express currently has stations in Pleasanton, Fremont, Santa Clara, San Jose, Livermore, Tracy, and Stockton, at the Manteca/Lathrop border. Those associated with the project expected to have part of the southern branch ready “with double tracking where needed to avoid conflict with freight trains,” but “Union Pacific Railroad operates on this track and must sign off on each detailed set of plans.” Amtrak also has plans to expand service with two additional trips to Sacramento, “sharing stations with ACE’s northern branch.”
The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission will oversee the expansion. Vice Chair and Tracy Mayor, Nancy Young commented that the project “restores the station back to its rightful glory as the birthplace of Modesto.”
