Orange County’s (OC) first modern streetcar project is one of the recipients of a California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) funded $28 million grant for projects that will boost public transit ridership and help improve the environment.
The funding comes from the CalSTA-administered Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), a part of the Cap-and-Trade Program, which seeks to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions through transformative rail and transit capital investments.
“The OC Streetcar project provides a clean mobility option through some of the most populated areas of the county,” remarked CalSTA Secretary Brian Kelly. “The project will provide meaningful access to jobs, job training, healthcare and education, using zero-emission streetcars. This is a win for the economy in both Santa Ana and Garden Grove and their quality of life.”
The 4.1-mile OC Streetcar will travel from the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center to a new multimodal transit hub at Harbor Boulevard and Westminster Avenue in Garden Grove. Up to six streetcars will run along the route, stopping every 10 minutes during peak hours at 10 stations in each direction.
Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the lead agency developing the estimated $297.9 million OC Streetcar project. Additional funding is coming from various federal and local sources, including Measure M, the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements.
Lori Donchak, OCTA chair, said, “California’s Cap-and-Trade Program is critical in helping us invest in transit that will provide viable transportation options as Orange County continues to evolve. I appreciate that the state recognizes the importance of the OC Streetcar and this funding moves the project one step closer to fruition.”
“The OC Streetcar is a transformative project that will improve the environment and reduce pollution by getting people out of their cars in the heart of Orange County,” stated OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson. “This project is a perfect example of what Cap-and-Trade funding is intended to build and I want to thank the state and CalSTA for its ongoing support.”
OCTA has also been working on the streetcar with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) through the federal New Starts program. Construction for the OC Streetcar should start in 2018, with service beginning in 2020. The streetcar is expected to carry more than 7,500 riders a day.
In addition to the OC Streetcar project, the TIRCP funding will go toward the system-wide roll out of mobile ticketing. It’s expected that the OC Streetcar and mobile ticketing projects will lead to the reduction of 539,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the next 50 years.