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Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded a $100 million grant to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to purchase rail cars and locomotives for the Pacific and San Joaquin intercity passenger-rail corridors. The funds were obligated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act under the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) program.

Caltrans will use the funds to purchase 27 bi-level passenger cars and two diesel-electric locomotives. The new equipment will be used to accommodate ridership growth; ridership on the Pacific Surfliner and San Joaquin has shot up 65 percent and 45 percent, respectively, during the past decade.

The rail cars and locomotives represent the first rolling stock order that complies with next-generation design standards, which “create a level playing field, allowing U.S.-based manufacturers to more effectively compete,” USDOT officials said in a prepared statement.