North Valley Rail

This article is about a proposed California rail project from Sacramento to Chico. For other similarly named rail services, see Valley Rail.
North Valley Rail
Legend
Amtrak
to Seattle
 Chico–Amtrak (option)
Chico–Barber Yard (option)
Gridley Bus interchange
Marysville
Plumas Lake
Natomas/Sacramento Airport
Amtrak
to Bakersfield
|
Altamont Corridor Express
to San Jose, Merced

North Valley Rail is a proposed railway service in California that would offer trips from Natomas to Chico. Plans include extending Amtrak San Joaquins and Altamont Corridor Express services along the Union Pacific Sacramento Subdivision and Valley Subdivision.[1][2][3] The project was initiated by the Butte County Association of Governments.[3] Initial estimates place the cost of the project at $530 million, with 600,000 passengers yearly and a start date of July 2031.[4]

Initial studies ruled out Oroville as a potential terminus of the line, leaving a Chico station as the preferred alternative. Stations are planned in Natomas, Plumas Lake, Marysville, Gridley (with a bus connection to Oroville), and Chico.[4][5] Future plans include a connection to the Capitol Corridor in Sacramento.[citation needed] Capitol Corridor and North Valley Rail cross in Sacramento — North Valley Rail is primarily aligned to the north and south, while Capitol Corridor is largely aligned east and west.

  1. ^ "Proposal seeks to launch commuter rail service north of Sacramento, Calif". Trains. February 14, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  2. ^ "New rail line to connect Chico with Bay Area and Southern California". FOX40. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Manna, Orko (February 9, 2023). "'North Valley Rail': Commuter train line between Sacramento area and Chico in the works". KCRA. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Schoonover, Steve (December 9, 2023). "Chico-Sacramento passenger rail update Wednesday". Enterprise-Record. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  5. ^ Krause, Daniel; Mangonon, Anthony (June 1, 2022). Deliverable 3.1.3 (Initial Service and Operations Planning Analysis) (PDF). Wordpress (Report). AECOM. Retrieved December 21, 2023.