Short-Line Railroad Improvement Program.

Existing law requires the California Transportation Commission to establish a competitive funding program, commonly known as the Short-Line Railroad Improvement Program, to provide funds to the Department of Transportation or regional transportation planning agencies, or both, for short-line railroad projects such as railroad reconstruction, maintenance, upgrade, or replacement. Existing law appropriates up to $7,200,000 from the Trade Corridors Improvement Fund to the program and makes those moneys available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2028. This bill would extend the availability of those moneys for expenditure by one year. By extending the expenditure date of those moneys, the bill would make an appropriation. In order to receive funding from the Short-Line Railroad Improvement Program, existing law requires at least 30% of the total project cost to be provided from nongovernmental sources. This bill would authorize, for a project under the program for a publicly owned railroad, those funds to be provided from private funds, local funds, or state or federal funds not allocated by the commission on a project-specific basis.