I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1504 
To authorize the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for engineering, 
final design, and construction of the Altamont Corridor Rail Project, 
California, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 13, 2011 
Mr. MCNERNEY (for himself, Mr. CARDOZA, and Mr. GARAMENDI) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Transportation to make grants 
for engineering, final design, and construction of the 
Altamont Corridor Rail Project, California, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Altamont Corridor Rail 
Improvement Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The Altamont Rail Corridor serves a North-
ern California mega region with a projected popu-
lation of 18,000,000 by 2025. 
(2) The Altamont Rail Corridor is the primary 
gateway between the Central Valley of California 
and the San Francisco Bay Area and parallels two 
of the most congested highway corridors in the re-
gion. 
(3) The Metropolitan Transportation Commis-
sion completed a final report of the Bay Area Re-
gional Rail Plan in 2007 that called for a dedicated 
regional rail line that would provide both intercity 
and commuter passenger rail service to improve 
connectivity and accessibility between the Northern 
San Joaquin Valley population centers and the Bay 
Area. 
(4) The California High Speed Rail Authority 
has identified the Altamont Rail Corridor as a crit-
ical element to regional transportation needs and en-
tered into partnership with the major governing and 
operating entities in the corridor to improve the re-
gional ACE service in the near term and develop ca-
pability for joint use to accommodate intercity and 
commuter service as well as interface with the high- 
speed rail system in the future. 
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(5) The Bay Area Regional Rail Plan projects 
that the ACE train that currently provides pas-
senger rail service in the Altamont Rail Corridor will 
average 49,000 daily boardings by 2050. 
(6) The current situation of sharing Altamont 
Rail Corridor passenger service with the growing 
freight operations in the existing alignment will se-
verely limit opportunity for service improvement or 
expansion as critically needed. 
(7) The expansion and improvement of pas-
senger rail service in the Altamont Rail Corridor will 
have significant environmental and economic devel-
opment benefits for the region. 
SEC. 3. PROJECT AUTHORIZATION FOR NEW FIXED GUIDE 
WAY CAPITAL PROJECT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Altamont Corridor Rail 
Project is authorized for final design and construction for 
fiscal years 2011 through 2021 in accordance with section 
5309(d) of title 49, United States Code. 
(b) ALLOCATION
OF FUNDS.—The Secretary of 
Transportation is authorized to allocate, out of funds 
made available under section 5309(m) of title 49, United 
States Code, a total amount not to exceed $450,000,000 
for fiscal years 2011 through 2021 to carry out any re-
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maining preliminary engineering and final design and con-
struction of the Altamont Corridor Rail Project. 
(c) USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS.—Any al-
ternatives analysis or environmental impact report relat-
ing to the Altamont Corridor Rail Project that is prepared 
to comply with the requirements for capital assistance 
from the Federal Railroad Administration (including doc-
uments prepared before the date of enactment of this Act) 
may be used to satisfy the requirements for grant assist-
ance under section 5309 of title 49, United States Code. 
Æ 
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