In 2019, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA), in partnership with California Department of Transportation’s (CalTrans) Division of Mass Transit, was selected by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) to receive $7.4 million from the Community Air Protection program to help replace two diesel-powered locomotives with two new Siemens Charger Tier 4 locomotives. These locomotives are now operating on the Capitol Corridor line from Auburn-Sacramento to Silicon Valley and run through disadvantaged and low-income communities in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and more. The new locomotives achieve a 90 percent reduction in particulate matter emissions and an 80 percent reduction in oxides of nitrogen emissions compared to the old, higher-polluting locomotives.
“Thanks to this partnership between CCJPA, Caltrans, the California Air Resources Board, and regional air districts, we have increased the number of Environmental Protection Agency-certified Tier 4 locomotives in our fleet from eight to ten,” CCJPA Board Chair Don Saylor said.
“Transportation is the largest source of planet-warming greenhouse gases in the United States today, and the bulk of those emissions comes from driving vehicles on our streets and highways,” said CCJPA Managing Director Rob Padgette. “Encouraging travelers to choose trains and other forms of public transportation is a big factor in the clean air equation, but operating cutting-edge technology—like locomotives that reduce harmful emissions—is a necessary part of the solution as well.”
This project is a significant step in realizing California Climate Investments’ goals of accelerating greenhouse gas emission reductions, improving public health, and fostering interagency coordination and collaboration. The $7.4 million from Community Air Protection incentives program was provided by Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Placer County Air Pollution Control District. The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District also contributed an additional $2.2 million to the project from the Carl Moyer Program.