Sacramento Regional Transit District

Last updated
Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT)
Logomark Sacramento Regional Transit 2024.svg
FoundedApril 1, 1973 (51 years ago) [1]
Headquarters1102 Q Street Suite 3000
Sacramento, California
Locale Sacramento County, California
Service type Transit bus and light rail
Routes81 (bus)
3 (light rail) [1]
Stops3,100 (bus) [1]
Stations52 (light rail)
Fleet
  • 198 transit buses [a]
  • 35 shuttle buses [b]
  • 97 light rail vehicles
  • 120 paratransit vehicles [2]
Daily ridership54,500 (weekdays, Q2 2024) [3]
Annual ridership15,836,400 (2023) [4]
Fuel type CNG, Battery Electric
Website sacrt.com

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 sixteenth busiest light rail system in the United States. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 15,836,400, or about 54,500 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

Contents

In addition to the city of Sacramento, SacRT serves Sacramento International Airport, [5] 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. [6] 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. [7] Yolobus have retained the SacRT 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.

Services

Transit bus

The SacRT system operates 76 bus routes, as of 2024, 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 90 minutes (redership dependant, 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. [8] Since light rail has opened, buses have generally acted as feeders to light rail routes.

The previous Sacramento Regional Transit logo. Sacramento Regional Transit.svg
The previous Sacramento Regional Transit logo.

Airport Express

SacRT has a dedicated line (Route 142) between downtown Sacramento and Sacramento International Airport running every hour. This route uses battery electric buses. [9]

Causeway Connection

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. [10]

Light rail

Light rail stop at K Street Mall, Downtown Sacramento. Sacramento Light Rail.jpg
Light rail stop at K Street Mall, Downtown Sacramento.

The SacRT 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).

Paratransit (SacRT GO)

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.

Shuttle Service (SacRT SmaRT Ride)

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. [11]

SacRT announced in November 2024 that the SmaRT Ride service will be replaced by SacRT Flex, and will end on 31 December, 2024. [12]

SacRT Flex

Starting in January 2025, SacRT Flex will replace SacRT's SmaRT Ride service to provide "corner-to-corner" shared-ride sharing to low income, disabled or senior persons in the same regions SmaRT Ride operated in. [12]

The Neighborhood Ride

In 2006, RT created a new division internally known as "Community Bus Service". Known to the ridership as "The Neighborhood Ride"

The Neighborhood Ride The Neighborhood Ride SACRT.jpg
The Neighborhood Ride

Accidents and incidents

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 24. 13 of the injured individuals were taken to 2 local trauma centers. [14] [15]

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. [16] 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.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEPTA</span> Public transportation authority

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 throughout five counties in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It also manages projects that maintain, replace, and expand its infrastructure, facilities, and vehicles.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is a major public transportation agency based in Houston, Texas, United States. It operates bus, light rail, bus rapid transit, HOV and HOT lanes, and paratransit service in the city as well as most of Harris County. It also operates bus service to two cities in Fort Bend County, and to Conroe in Montgomery County. The Metro headquarters are in the Lee P. Brown Administration Building in Downtown Houston. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 77,189,800, or about 244,300 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland Transit Administration</span> Public transit authority of the state of Maryland

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area. There are 80 bus lines serving the Baltimore Metropolitan Area, along with rail services that include the Light Rail, Metro Subway, and MARC Train. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 52,922,000, or about 219,600 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Blue Line (Minnesota)</span> Light rail line in Hennepin County, Minnesota

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unitrans</span> Public transit agency based in Davis, CA

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 $1.50 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Trolley</span> Light rail system in San Diego County, California

The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system serving San Diego County, California, United States. The trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc., is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The trolley operates as a critical component of MTS, with connections to and integrated travel tickets with the local bus systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siemens S700 and S70</span> Light rail transit vehicle

The Siemens S70 and its successor, the Siemens S700, are a series of articulated 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional Transportation District</span> Public transport agency in Denver, Colorado

The Regional Transportation District, more commonly referred to as RTD, is the regional agency operating public transit services in eight out of the twelve counties in the Denver–Aurora combined statistical area in the U.S. state of Colorado. It operates over a 2,342-square-mile (6,070 km2) area, serving 3.08 million people. RTD was organized in 1969 and is governed by a 15-member, publicly elected Board of Directors. Directors are elected to a four-year term and represent a specific district of about 180,000 constituents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Light RailLink</span> Light rail system in Baltimore

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 13,700 per weekday, as of the second quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramento Valley Station</span> Railway station in Sacramento, California, US

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 SacRT light rail system and the Route 30 bus serving California State University, Sacramento.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denton County Transportation Authority</span> Transit agency in Denton County, Texas

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) is the transit authority that operates in Denton County, Texas. It operates transit service in three cities within Denton County, as well as the A-train, a regional commuter rail line to Carrollton. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,852,000, or about 8,800 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watt/I-80 station</span> Light rail station in North Highlands, California

Watt/I-80 station is a below-grade light rail station on the Blue Line of the SacRT 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VTA light rail</span> Light rail system in Santa Clara County, California

The VTA light rail system serves San Jose and nearby cities in Santa Clara County, California. It is operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and has 42.2 miles (67.9 km) of network comprising three main lines on standard gauge tracks. Originally opened on December 11, 1987, the light rail system has expanded since then, and currently has 60 stations in operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marin Transit</span> Public bus agency in California, US

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 July 30, 2007 and now provides a variety of fixed-route and demand-response public transportation services. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,814,700, or about 9,000 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

Yolobus provides public transportation throughout Yolo County, California and into downtown Sacramento, western Sacramento County and northeastern Solano County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold Line (SacRT)</span> Light rail line in the Sacramento, California area

The Gold Line is a light rail transit line in the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) light rail system. Operating between Sacramento Valley and Historic Folsom stations, the line runs primarily east-west in Sacramento, portions of unincorporated Sacramento County, Rancho Cordova, Gold River and Folsom. Segments of the Gold Line run along the system's original alignment between 16th Street and Butterfield stations, which opened for service in 1987. The line has run in its modern configuration since June 2005, with extensions completed since then to Folsom and the downtown Amtrak station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SacRT light rail</span> Light rail system in Sacramento, California

The SacRT light rail system serves the Sacramento, California area. It is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) and has 42.9 miles (69.0 km) of network comprising three main lines on standard gauge tracks, 53 stations, and a fleet of 121 vehicles. With an average of 21,700 weekday daily boardings as of the second quarter of 2024, the SacRT light rail system is the fifteenth busiest in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in the Sacramento metropolitan area</span> Complex multi-modal network moving people and goods in the region of Californias state capital

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.

References

  1. ↑ 186 transit buses powered by compressed natural gas, and 12 zero emissions transit buses [2]
  2. ↑ 26 shuttle buses powred by compresed natural gas, and 9 zero emissions shuttle buses [2]
  1. 1 2 3 "SacRT System Fact Sheet" (PDF). Sacramento Regional Transit District. July 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "SacRT System Fact Sheet" (PDF). Sacramento Regional Transit District. 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  3. ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  5. ↑ "142 – INTERNATIONAL". Sacramento Regional Transit. Sacramento Regional Transit District. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  6. ↑ "System Map – Sacramento Regional Transit". Sacramento Regional Transit District. Archived from the original on 2013-08-02. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
  7. ↑ YOLOBUS To Turn 30! from Yolobus (October 2011)
  8. ↑ "Calif.’s Sacramento RT expands light rail, bus service" from Metro Magazine (August 29, 2012)
  9. ↑ "Need a Ride to the Airport? Try SacRT's Airport Express Bus – Sacramento Regional Transit District" . Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  10. ↑ "Causeway Connection Electric Bus Service – Sacramento Regional Transit District" . Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  11. ↑ "SacRT SmaRT Ride – Shuttle Service that Comes to You – Sacramento Regional Transit District" . Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  12. 1 2 "SmaRT Ride Transitioning to a New Pilot Program in January 2025 – Sacramento Regional Transit District" . Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  13. ↑ "5BBRtShuttles-17" (PDF). 2017.
  14. ↑ "What caused railroad collision in California? | 2019-11-07 | ISHN". www.ishn.com. 2019-11-07. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  15. ↑ "SacRT's Response to NTSB Report Regarding August 2019 Light Rail Incident". sacrt.com. 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  16. ↑ "Sacramento Police: Traffic Delayed Near 8th St and K St Due To Train Coming Off Tracks". CBS Sacramento. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.