Project

The City of Sacramento is transforming the downtown’s historic train depot — Sacramento Valley Station — into a transportation hub to serve all modes of travel to and from the station.

The Sacramento Valley Station is located at 4th and I Streets serving as the gateway to the northern edge of downtown Sacramento and the southern boundary of the 240 acre Railyards redevelopment site. Since its opening in 1926, the historic station has served as the primary rail passenger station for northern California, and has grown in ridership to the nation’s seventh busiest station.

Between these milestones, the station has suffered from decades of deferred maintenance and the impacts of the interstate freeway infrastructure during the 1960’s. However, since the City of Sacramento acquired the building in 2006, improvements have been forth coming and planning for a fully integrated intermodal facility is moving forward.

The Sacramento Valley Station is a master-planned, multi-phased project that will enable state-of-the art operations for multiple modes of transportation at a centralized location. It will provide user-friendly connections between all modes of transportation – train, light rail, bus, bicycle, pedestrian, taxi and automobile.

Phase1

The prologue to the city’s purchase of the station came on the heels of strong public support for the station to remain as a passenger terminal. The railroad’s insistence on the movement of the mainline to the south of the shops brought strong public resistance, without land control, the city was not able to influence the operational demands of the railroad. The conditions of the relocated tracks and passenger platforms were negotiated by the railroad and the private developer prior to the city taking ownership of the 32 acre site in 2007.

Within a year of purchase, the City embarked on a long program of reinvestment in the building and site in a three-phase program. 

The first phase resulted in passenger and freight railroad tracks being moved approximately 500 feet north. The northward move accommodates longer passenger trains, more efficient rail travel, a safer means of crossing the railroad tracks and connects the downtown with the Railyards property, which will be developed in Phase 3.

Station facilities provided in Phase 1 included passenger platforms and canopied walkways, electronic information systems, landscaping and other amenities. The $70 million construction project also included construction of three tunnels under the realigned tracks. The Central Passenger Tunnel and Service Tunnel provide grade-separated access for passengers and service vehicles to the passenger platforms. Serving pedestrians and bicyclists, the West Tunnel connects the Railyards and areas to the north with Old Sacramento and communities to the south of the rail corridor.

Phase 2

The renovation of the historic depot began in October of 2014 and was completed in March of 2017

The opportunity to start phase two was made possible when the City was awarded a $15 million federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation. The grant money will be combined with local Measure A funds to cover the $35 million construction cost.

The renovation project will result in the following benefits:

• Create a more hospitable, welcoming, convenient station
• Improve mobility and connections among modes and set the stage for future transportation center expansion, including high speed rail and streetcars
• Improve condition of building spaces, systems and exteriors, extend building life and add energy-saving features
• Create a dynamic urban center and gateway to destinations at or adjacent to the Depot and to the city and Railyards
• Upgrade transportation services at the station and introduce new transportation, retail and commercial uses
• Rehabilitate and restore historic features of the building, which is renown as a classic American rail station