The factual accuracy of parts of this article (those related to the history, bus fleet, light rail and accidents and incidents sections) may be compromised due to out-of-date information.(January 2018) |
Founded | April 1, 1973 (50 years ago) [1] |
---|---|
Headquarters | 1400 29th Street Sacramento, California |
Locale | Sacramento, California |
Service type | Transit bus and light rail |
Routes | 81 (bus) 3 (light rail) [1] |
Stops | 3,100 (bus) [1] |
Stations | 52 (light rail) |
Fleet |
|
Daily ridership | 56,600 (weekdays, Q4 2023) [2] |
Annual ridership | 15,836,400 (2023) [3] |
Fuel type | CNG, Battery Electric |
Website | sacrt |
The Sacramento Regional Transit District, commonly referred to as SacRT (or simply RT), is the agency responsible for public transportation in the Sacramento, California area. It was established on April 1, 1973, as a result of the acquisition of the Sacramento Transit Authority. In addition to operating over 81 bus routes with connecting bus service in the Sacramento area covering 438 square miles (1,134.4 km2), SacRT also operates a large light rail system, which ranks currently as the thirteenth busiest light rail system in the United States. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 15,836,400, or about 56,600 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
In addition to the city of Sacramento, SacRT serves Sacramento International Airport, [4] much of the northern portion of Sacramento County which includes the incorporated cities of Citrus Heights, Folsom and Rancho Cordova. The unincorporated areas of Sacramento County under the SacRT service area include Arden Arcade, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Florin, Gold River, North Highlands, Orangevale, Rio Linda and Rosemont. [5] The system formerly provided express bus service between Downtown Sacramento and Elk Grove until the mid-2000s when that city took over bus operations under the newly created e-tran; SacRT now operates e-tran as a contractor to the City of Elk Grove after signing a five-year contract to operate its service in June 2019, replacing MV Transportation. It also provided contracted bus service to neighboring Yolo County (covering West Sacramento, Davis and Woodland); those routes and operations were later taken over by Yolobus after its formation on January 3, 1982. [6] Yolobus have retained the RT assigned route numbers for their routes as they continue to service Downtown Sacramento and e-tran has since revised its route numbering scheme when they completed their comprehensive operational analysis in 2018.
The RT system operates 67 bus routes, as of 2013, with service between 5:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. daily, and ending much earlier on weekends. Frequencies range between every 15 and 80 minutes (some express buses run only a few times a day). There has been proposals in the past to expand the service hours to late nights to accommodate passengers, businesses and communities, but have been slow to implement these ideas. The most recent changes were announced in August 2012, and is gradually making plans to improve and expand bus services system-wide by 2017. [7] Since light rail has opened, buses have generally acted as feeders to light rail routes.
SacRT has a dedicated line (Route 142) between downtown Sacramento and Sacramento International Airport running every hour. This route uses battery electric buses. [8]
SacRT provides a connection between UC Davis in Davis and the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento using battery electric buses provided by Electrify America. The buses also provide Free Wi-Fi and USB charging for riders. [9]
The Sacramento Rapid Transit Light Rail system is a 42.9 miles (69.0 km) system, consisting of three rail lines, 53 stations, and 97 vehicles. Service operates daily from 4:30 am to midnight on weekdays (10:30 pm on weekends).
To meet the requirements of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, the RT established a Paratransit service in 1993, which is a door-to-door service for the disabled.
SacRT provides a shuttle service through a smartphone app that allows people to either be picked up and dropped off at a specified address (curb-to-curb) or at a virtual bus stop (corner-to-corner), depending on the region serviced. The shuttle can also be requested online and over the phone; this service is available throughout most of Sacramento County. [10]
In 2006, RT created a new division internally known as "Community Bus Service". Known to the ridership as "The Neighborhood Ride"
This section needs to be updated.(May 2019) |
On April 9, 2010, at about 10:20 a.m. a Blue Line train struck a vehicle at 47th Ave crossing. The vehicle, a green Honda Accord was dragged about 100 feet (30 m). Inside the vehicle was a woman about the age of 40, She was pronounced dead at U.C. Davis Medical Center. The cause was revealed to be the woman who drove her car around the crossing gates which were down.
A man was hospitalized on April 26, 2010, after he was hit by a light rail while talking on a cell phone. The crash happened near the Iron Point Station in Folsom at about 10 a.m. Investigators said the pedestrian was walking on the tracks and not paying attention to what was coming toward him. The pedestrian on the tracks never looked up at all throughout the entire incident. The operator told investigators that he had spoken to the injured person, and the guy said that he was walking on the tracks because he didn't want to be walking on the roadway while talking on his cell phone. The pedestrian was in serious condition at UC Davis Medical Center. Passengers on the train had an hour delay.
Deputies were called shortly after 9 a.m. on April 27, 2010, to the Zinfandel station. Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran said one person shot the victim in the leg and then fled. Investigators said a fight broke out on a light-rail train, culminating in a shooting once the train reached the station platform. The alleged shooter was seen running across the parking lot outside a nearby Ross store, Curran said. The victim was expected to survive, authorities said. RT service did not appear to be affected.
On November 11, 2010, a pick-up truck ran into the side of a moving Regional Transit Light Rail Train at 10:15 a.m. at Starfire Drive and Folsom Boulevard in Sacramento County. The train was only scratched in the collision. Only one passenger received medical attention for minor injuries; the two people in the truck were not hurt.
A Siemens light rail vehicle on a Gold Line train caught fire and started to smoke on December 23, 2010, at approximately 7:30 p.m. near the College Greens station. A communications issue between the Sacramento Fire Department and the Regional Transit light rail operator occurred when the train began to move from the station where the fire was being doused to the Watt/Manlove station over a mile away. The fire caused service disruptions to Gold Line trains traveling in both directions for up to an hour. The car (#136) was towed out of service to the Regional Transit maintenance facility on Academy Way. The fire was likely caused by an overheated generator and battery located on the bottom of the train.
On January 28, 2012, three people died after their vehicle collided with a light-rail train. The accident took place at the crossing near the intersection of 25th Street and 26th Avenue just before 4:45 p.m, when a black Pathfinder SUV was hit by a southbound Blue Line train. The gate arms were determined to be functioning properly. All three fatalities were occupants of the vehicle. At least 17 injured victims were taken to the hospital for treatment.
On August 22, 2019, an LRV rear-ended a Maintenance Vehicle injuring 27. 13 of those injured were taken to 2 local trauma centers.
On February 14, 2022; an LRV was struck by a vehicle attempting to turn onto J Street. The incident took place just before Cathedral Square station. No injuries were reported.
On April 8, 2022, an LRV derailed at the intersection of 8th and K street. [11] There were no injuries reported, but catenary power in downtown Sacramento had to be shut down during the re-railing process, causing major service disruption.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people in five counties in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It also manages projects that maintain, replace and expand its infrastructure, facilities and vehicles.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is a transit agency serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex of Texas. It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and twelve of its suburbs. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 50,463,300, or about 166,900 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
The Metro Blue Line is a 12-mile (19.3 km) light rail line in Hennepin County, Minnesota, that is part of the Metro network. It travels from downtown Minneapolis to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and the southern suburb of Bloomington. Formerly the Hiawatha Line prior to May 2013, the line was originally named after the Milwaukee Road's Hiawatha passenger train and Hiawatha Avenue, reusing infrastructure from the former and running parallel to the latter for a portion of the route. The line opened June 26, 2004, and was the first light rail service in Minnesota. An extension, Bottineau LRT, is planned to open in 2028.
Unitrans is the transit system which operates in and around the campus of the University of California, Davis. It takes its name from an abbreviation of the words "University Transport". Excepting several managerial and maintenance positions, Unitrans is managed and operated entirely by students of the University of California, Davis who usually work part-time while attending school. The system is well known throughout the area for its use of several distinctive ex-Transport for London double-decker buses, as well as its fleet of modern natural gas single-decks. The system has 18 weekday, 1 school-centered and 6 weekend routes. Current fares are $1.25 for the general public and included in student fees for undergraduate University attendees. Unitrans is one of a small number of transit systems in the United States to operate double deck buses in regular (non-sightseeing) service. Unitrans has one of the best safety records of any public transit system in the US.
The Siemens S70 and its successor, the Siemens S700, are a series of low-floor light-rail vehicles (LRV) and modern streetcars manufactured for the United States market by Siemens Mobility, a division of German conglomerate Siemens AG. The series also includes a European tram-train variant, the Siemens Avanto.
The Baltimore Light RailLink is a light rail system serving Baltimore, Maryland, United States, and its northern and southern suburbs. It is operated by the Maryland Transit Administration. In downtown Baltimore, it uses city streets. Outside the central portions of the city, the line is built on private rights-of-way, mostly from the defunct Northern Central Railway, Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad and Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway. The system had a ridership of 3,546,300, or about 12,500 per weekday, as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
San Joaquin Regional Transit District is a transit district that provides bus service to the city of Stockton, California and the surrounding communities of Lodi, Ripon, Thornton, French Camp, Lathrop, Manteca, and Tracy. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,432,000, or about 9,100 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
Sacramento Valley Station is an Amtrak railway station in the city of Sacramento, California, at 401 I Street on the corner of Fifth Street, built in 1926 on the site of China Slough. It is the thirteenth busiest Amtrak station in the country, and the second busiest in the Western United States. It is served by four different Amtrak train routes and connecting Amtrak Thruway motorcoaches. It is also the western terminus for the Gold Line of the Sacramento RT Light Rail system and the Route 30 bus serving Sacramento State University.
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Norwalk Transit is a municipal transit company providing fixed-route and paratransit bus transit services in Norwalk, California, United States, and also operates in portions of Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, La Habra, La Mirada, Santa Fe Springs and Whittier in southeast Los Angeles County and northwestern Orange County. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 998,000, or about 4,200 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
Watt/I-80 station is a below-grade light rail station on the Blue Line of the Sacramento RT Light Rail system operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. The station is located in the median of Interstate 80 at its intersection of Watt Avenue, after which the station is named, in the community of North Highlands, California, United States.
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Marin Transit is a public bus agency in Marin County, California, in the United States. Originally formed in 1964 as Marin County Transit District (MCTD). Marin Transit was re-branded on 30 July 2007 and now provides a variety of fixed-route and demand-response services using contractors. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,814,700, or about 8,800 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
Yolobus provides public transportation throughout Yolo County, California and into downtown Sacramento, western Sacramento County and northeastern Solano County.
The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) is a regional public transit authority in the state of Massachusetts providing bus and paratransit service to sixteen communities in the Boston MetroWest. The MWRTA was formed in 2006 and began service on July 1, 2007 with the purpose of filling a void in public transportation service in the MetroWest. Through a commitment to deliver expanded public transportation service to the business and commercial hubs across the MetroWest region, the goals and purpose of the MWRTA are embodied in its mission statement: "Build a public transportation system to deliver convenient and dependable service that enhances mobility, environmental quality and economic vitality in the region." Funding for the MWRTA comes partially from the state and local governments of the communities it operates within.
Sacramento RT Light Rail is a 42.9-mile (69.0 km) light rail system that serves the Sacramento, California area. It consists of three rail lines, 53 stations, and a fleet of 96 vehicles. It is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT). With an average of 22,200 weekday daily boardings as of the fourth quarter of 2023, the RT light rail system is the thirteenth busiest in the United States.
Transportation in the Sacramento metropolitan area consists of a variety of modes of travel in El Dorado County, Placer County, Sacramento County, and Yolo County, which are the four counties that comprise the Sacramento metropolitan area.