All Aboard the Hype Train: Elk Grove’s Station Still Stuck in the Roundhouse
City leaders keep selling the ACE rail stop as a done deal. But the reality?
The long-promised Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) rail station in Elk Grove remains in limbo as funding gaps and stalled negotiations with Union Pacific Railroad raise fresh doubts about when construction will actually begin, as revealed by a review of the agenda for the next San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission meeting.
A September report from the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission shows $3.67 million has been budgeted for the Elk Grove Station and trackwork. Less than half of that, about $1.54 million, has been spent so far. At the same time, a related double-track project in Elk Grove has already blown past its $638,000 budget, with $862,000 in expenditures.
Despite the expenditures, no start date for construction has been set. The project is still considered to be in progress, primarily at the design and early design stages.
Complicating matters, Union Pacific Railroad has yet to sign off on access to its heavily used freight corridors. In May, the rail commission’s Station/Facilities Development Committee went behind closed doors with Union Pacific to negotiate trackage rights along the Sacramento and Fresno subdivisions, including through Elk Grove. Only “directions to staff” were reported after the closed-door meeting, signaling talks remain unresolved. Sacramento County District 5 Supervisor Pat Hume also confirmed this in a recent constituent newsletter.
For Elk Grove residents, the lack of movement is not surprising. City officials routinely tout the future station without providing realistic timetables, as seen in the TV infotainment interview of Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and City Manager Jason Behrmann. The state-backed project remains mired between growing budgetary constraints and corporate negotiations.
City leaders keep selling the ACE rail stop as a done deal. But the reality?
Overruns, missing millions, and Union Pacific negotiations going nowhere fast. The only thing moving right now is the spin from Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and City Hall.The next meeting of the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission is Friday, September 5.
