Sacramento Downtown Riverfront Streetcar Project

April 24, 2022 General

The Downtown Riverfront Streetcar

The Downtown Riverfront Streetcar will provide service between Sutter Health Park in the City of West Sacramento and the Sacramento Valley Station in the City of Sacramento, which provides connection to the regional Amtrak, Capitol Corridor, and San Joaquin's rail system, and SacRT’s light rail and bus system.

The Downtown Riverfront Streetcar will support access to high trip generation areas, including:

  • Golden 1 Center
  • Downtown Commons (DOCO) shopping center
  • Crocker Art Museum
  • Old Sacramento Waterfront District
  • Historic Washington District and Riverwalk Park
  • Sutter Health Park stadium
  • 244-acre Railyards infill development project

Proposed Project Alignment Map

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Project Area Map

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Recent Project Updates

Riverfront Street Car Fact Sheet 2024

Project Timeline

After discussions between staff from SacRT and both Cities (Sacramento and West Sacramento), a revised alignment between Sacramento Valley Station (SVS) and Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento was proposed. Service will be provided by a single Siemens S700 vehicle that will travel between Sutter Health Park and SVS by constructing new track from Sutter Health Park across the Tower Bridge, along Capitol Mall, then south on 3rd Street to N Street. Double tracks will be installed on N Street from 3rd Street and connect to the existing light rail system at 7th and 8th Streets. The proposed Streetcar Project route will use the existing light rail track from 7th and 8th Streets to the SVS. The Streetcar Project will add new streetcar stations at Sutter Health Park, Capitol Mall and a station along N Street. The revised route will require significant modifications to the existing environmental documents and design documents.

The revised N Street alignment will connect the new track to the existing SacRT Light Rail system, enabling future projects that may extend the Light Rail system into West Sacramento and beyond. It will also provide more direct access from West Sacramento to the state buildings in downtown Sacramento, the Crocker Art Museum, and future Sacramento Commons. In addition, this alignment will not be impacted by any future City of Sacramento projects at the SVS or along 3rd Street, including the planned rebuild of the I-5 on ramp and future work on the I Street Bridge. Also, traffic and at-grade crossings impacts will be less significant since the alignment would not include the grade crossing of the I Street Bridge entrance.

Project Quick Facts

  • The Downtown Riverfront Streetcar Project received approval from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to enter Project Development as a Small Starts Project in 2014.
  • The Environmental and Design were completed in 2018, however the construction bids received in January 2019 were significantly higher than expected and the Project was put on hold.
  • Both the cities of Sacramento and West Sacramento have met with SacRT to discuss a modified scope for a streetcar alignment that provides greater connectivity to the existing SacRT light rail system.
  • The Downtown Riverfront Streetcar will support access to high trip generation areas including the Golden 1 Center, the Downtown Commons shopping center, the Crocker Art Museum, the Old Sacramento Waterfront district, the historic Washington District and Riverwalk Park, the Sutter Health Park stadium, and the 244-acre Railyards infill development project.

Recent News Coverage

August 9, 2022: SacRT approves new plan for West Sacramento streetcar line - CBS 13