SACRAMENTO – The California State Transportation Agency on Tuesday announced the recipients of $224 million in competitive grants that will be applied toward transit projects designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Considered as an investment in climate control to help California reduce emissions from transportation, the grants are funded by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund using proceeds from the state’s cap-and-trade auctions.
The agency received 31 applications from transportation projects across the state, and 14 were selected through a competitive process, according to Kyle Simerly, Assistant Secretary for CalSTA Public Affairs.
“Per our guidelines published in February, successful projects reduced greenhouse gas emissions; increased ridership for their service; integrated with other transit and intercity rail operators, including the future high-speed rail system; and improved the safety of their service,” Simerly told FactFlyer, explaining that “providing direct, meaningful, and assured benefits to disadvantaged communities was considered as well.”
Transit organizations from the Greater Los Angeles area include the Antelope Valley Transit Authority, which was awarded $24.4 million for its Regional Transit Interconnectivity & Environmental Sustainability Project; the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), awarded nearly $38.5 million for the Willowbrook/ Rosa Parks Station and Blue Line Light Rail Operational Improvements Project; and the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink), awarded almost $41.2 million for the purchase of nine Fuel-Efficient Tier IV EMD F-125 Locomotives for the Metrolink Commuter Rail Service.
The competitive grant funding is part of the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, and this year’s 14 grants help support approximately $720 million in public transportation investments, while reducing an estimated 860,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which the agency said is equivalent to taking 180,000 cars off the road.
Those transit entities benefitting from these grants currently support about 360 million transit trips per year. CalSTA noted that some of the benefits from this year’s grants include funds for 16 new and seven refurbished light rail vehicles, three rail cars, nine locomotives, 20 compressed natural gas buses, 12 hybrid buses and 30 zero emission electric buses.
For more information on the California State Transportation Agency, visit CalSTA.ca.gov.
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