Sacramento – Yesterday the California State Transportation Agency (CSTA) announced the approval of a grant of $30,000,000 for the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) from the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP). The grant was awarded for a pilot program to deploy a Zero Emission Multiple Unit commuter rail vehicles on the Redlands Passenger Rail Corridor in San Bernardino. With this funding SBCTA and the region will be national leaders in the deployment and testing of near zero and zero emission commuter rail trains. This announcement comes after Assemblymember Eloise Reyes (D-San Bernardino) sent a letter to CSTA on January 10th, 2018 requesting funding for SBCTA to carry out this project. As chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Environmental Quality and the Green Economy in the Inland Empire, Assemblymember Reyes has been a staunch advocate of greater green investments in the region.
“With this funding SBCTA will be a leader, not only in our region, but statewide in the testing of advanced technology that will reduce the emissions of transit rail,” said Assemblymember Reyes. “SBCTA has shown a commitment toward improving service for the community while developing creative solutions to address the environmental impacts of mass transit. As this new technology grows in use we will see real benefits in reduced traffic congestion and reduced impacts on air quality while putting San Bernardino on the map as a testing hub for green technology.”
DMU trains are lighter weight and smaller in size than other types of commuter trains, making them more fuel efficient and lower emission. The initial DMUs put into service are compliant with Tier 4 Diesel Emission Standards (Lowest emission diesel currently possible) and will be converted to the latest zero-emission technology as it becomes available. This project will make San Bernardino among the first in the nation to deploy and test zero emission commuter trains and could impact future technology development by other rail services across the state.
Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes represents Assembly District 47 which includes the cities of Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Grand Terrace, San Bernardino and the unincorporated areas of Muscoy and Bloomington.
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