Sacramento - Merced
Due to the large scope of the project – the largest public infrastructure project in the nation – the environmental review is being conducted in two parts: a statewide program-level EIR/EIS followed by a more specific project-level EIR/EIS of each of the nine sections of the system. Each project section is moving through this process at a different pace.
The Sacramento to Merced section of the 800-mile system is 110 miles long. From the Sacramento Amtrak Station, the study area runs east and south, roughly paralleling Highway 99 from Elk Grove through the northern San Joaquin Valley to Merced, where it will connect with the Merced to Fresno and Merced to San Jose sections. Stations are planned for Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto and Merced.
Once operating, projections estimate 5,300 boardings daily in Merced, with travel time between Merced and Sacramento estimated at 43 minutes. CO2 emissions savings are estimated at about 82.5 lbs. per trip.