The plans involve a total investment of US$12.6bn (£8bn), including federal contributions.Â
Infrastructure improvements funded by the legislation includes a 3.2km light rail connection that will be built in Southern California to link the existing Metro transit to Union Station. Õ¥Ö¼§ is scheduled to begin in April 2013.
In the Bay Area, improvements include more than US$700m to modernise the Caltrain system with electrified rail that is ready to connect to high-speed rail by 2019. These improvements leverage more than US$2bn in additional matching federal and local funding.
In 2013, construction will begin of the initial segment of high-speed rail, linking Merced to the San Fernando Valley.
The new bill invests US$4.7bn of state bonds to improve regional rail service statewide. These funds include a $2.6 billion investment (matched by additional federal funds) for construction of the high-speed rail corridor. California will receive an additional $7.9bn billion in federal and local funds for transit systems that provide more than 950 million trips per year.
SB 1029 also includes a $1.92 billion state investment in local rail projects to improve connectivity across the state.
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