Swalwell Advances $20 Million in Funding for Valley Link Project

Press Release

Today, Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-15) announced that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has included $20 million he requested for the Valley Link project, connecting Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to the Altamont Corridor Express commuter train, in its Fiscal Year 2021 transportation spending bill.

This $20 million specified in the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021 would help implement Valley Link's sustainability blueprint, helping to make the project into a national model of environmental sustainability by identifying and integrating cost-effective ways to maximize the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions into the system's planning, design and operation. The 42-mile, 7-station passenger rail project will connect the existing Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station in Alameda County to the approved Altamont Corridor Express North Lathrop Station in San Joaquin County.

"The Valley Link project will fundamentally change the way we travel in the East Bay by reducing traffic congestion -- particularly on Interstate 580 -- and connecting our communities," said Swalwell. "Connecting BART to ACE has been among my top priorities since I came to Congress eight years ago, and I am pleased to finally see it included among our national transportation priorities. I'm looking forward to the spending bill's swift passage so we can deliver on this transformative project."

"We are very fortunate to have a Congressional Representative with such a strong commitment to our project goals," said Board Chair Veronica Vargas of the Tri-Valley -- San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority. "These funds will help us to transform Valley Link into a national model of environmental sustainability and support service expansion to equitably serve some of the state's most disadvantaged communities."

Federal highway and public transportation programs are funded through multi-year surface transportation authorization acts. Under guidelines issued by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, each Representative was able to request funding for highway and transit projects in their community, although only a handful are included in this year's bill. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams and limited to surface transportation authorization legislation.

In compliance with House Rules and Committee requirements, Swalwell has certified that he, his spouse, and his immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects he has requested.

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