California Train Line Gets a Boost

California's railways have been given a funding boost by the Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration.

The department will distribute $1 million in funding to the California Department of Transportation to expand and improve railway service for sections along the Central Coast, San Jose and between Northern California and Nevada.

In a press release, Democratic Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Jimmy Panetta announced the federal funding and said they were pleased with the outcome.

"We're proud to announce this important federal funding that will help create good-paying jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase regional travel," Lofgren and Panetta said.

"We are particularly pleased that federal and state governments recognize the importance of the growing Salinas Valley area and its transit needs. We will continue to advocate for more projects like this one that benefit Salinas, Watsonville, Hollister, and/or other cities that can often be overlooked by their larger neighbors."

The funding comes from the Corridor Identification and Development Program, which supports the planning and development of passenger rail services, the press release noted.

It comes in part due to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in the last Congress, the Democratic representatives said in the press release.

They added that more people in California will gain access to reliable rail service, writing that "public transportation is a vital resource that connects our communities and local economies."

The announcement is the latest project to improve railway connectivity for Californians.

The state is currently in the process of building its major California High-Speed Rail, which began construction in 2015 after years of planning.

There is no set timeline for when the entire project is due to be completed, but a 171-mile line from Merced to Bakersfield is estimated to be finished between 2030 and 2033.

The project has turned into an expensive one—officials estimate that the first line from Bakersfield to Merced could cost about $35 billion to finish, and that the Los Angeles to San Francisco route could cost $100 billion more (according to figures cited by the Los Angeles Times).

This would make the project cost $100 billion more than what was originally proposed.

And in April, another rail line, Brightline West, began construction following several years of delays.

The new all-electric, 218-mile rail line will transport passengers from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Rancho Cucamonga, California.

The proposed high-speed rail line would cover northern, central and southern California, and is due to be completed before the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.