Stanislaus County Receives $13 million for ACE Expansion

Altamont Corridor Express commuter train.

ACE

MODESTO, Calif. – $13 million in state funds will go toward expanding the ACE Express, and $3.2 million will go toward StanisCruise, a vanpool program.

State grants totaling $16.2 million will expand the Altamont Corridor Express into Stanislaus County as well as a vanpool program, according a report from The Modesto Bee. The grants were finalized by the Stanislaus Council of Governments back on December 13^th and comes from the county’s share of the $5.1 billion statewide from the California Department of Transportation. The $13 million for ACE was objected by Hughson Mayor George Carr because “They keep at every turn requesting additional funds. . . I don’t believe that they deserve anything until they can actually prove that they are coming to Modesto.” The funds would go to stations in Modesto and Ceres as part of an “overall $1.8 billion rail effort” that is already a few years delayed. 

According to the report, the project will add a second track that would avoid conflicts with freight trains. In addition, planners are “dealing with a large fuel pipeline and other utilities in the corridor.” The southern branch received funding in 2017 with the “hope of reaching Ceres by this year and Merced by 2027.” Now, the timeline for Ceres is 2026 with 2029 for Turlock and 2030 for Livingston and Merced. These stations will be shared with Amtrak, which is reportedly increasing service between the capital and San Joaquin Valley.

Vito Chiesa, County Supervisor, voted in favor of the $13 million for the ACE expansion because “Holding back any money just sets the timeline back, potentially.” The report goes onto state that the funds can go toward upgrading transit systems and lost revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, the vanpool program, called StanisCruise, received $3.2 million of the total $16.2 million. The program is a partnership with Commute with Enterprise, and it seeks to help residents of Stanislaus County who need transportation to jobs in the Bay Area. The car-rental company works with employers in the area to send vans that can seat up to 15 people. State funds will help to subsidize the program.