Sacramento to receive $20 million for downtown rail project

Sacramento to receive $20 million for downtown rail project State transportation officials said Thursday that $20 million of state bond funds will be made available for a project to ease rail congestion in a downtown Sacramento rail yard.
   The California Transportation Commission said it will make the Proposition 1B transportation infrastructure funds available to move railroad tracks in the downtown rail yard, allowing for the construction of an expanded train and transit center, as well as reducing downtown congestion between freight and passenger trains.
   The commission allocated the money from a portion of the bond funds set aside for projects that speed freight movement through California.
   Officials from the city of Sacramento, who hope to complete the rail yard project within the next few years, have estimated that the cost of moving the downtown tracks is about $51 million. The city must provide matching funds to receive the Prop 1B money.