Passenger Trains > Modesto SP Depot to be Upgraded for ACE Service

The city of Modesto, CA has secured $5.64m in state and federal funding for an upgrade of its
Southern Pacific depot to accomodate future Altamont Corridor Express service.  The 1915-built
Mission Revival depot last saw passenger service in 1971.

The city’s Landmark Preservation Commission and the California Office of Historic Preservation 
have both signed off on the plan.  The depot is already adjacent to Modesto's downtown bus
transit hub and also sees Greyhound service.  A new passenger siding and platform will be  built
next to the UP main.

From yesterday's Modesto Bee(the short video has some nice views):
https://www.modbee.com/news/local/article246620078.html

ACE is planning a branch off its present San Jose to Stockton service at Lathrop extending to Modesto
and Ceres as phase 1.  Phase 2 would extend the service further to Merced.  A connection will be
built at the old SP-WP diamonds in Lathrop at what is today CP Hicks enabling ACE trains to move 
from the Oakland Sub to the Fresno Sub(the light red line on the map below).

Additional capacity enhancements will occur on the Fresno Sub from Lathrop to Modesto and beyond.
The original plan was to begin service in the summer of 2022 but that seems very optmistic today.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/20 13:36 by milepost20.

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Are they planning on adding any capacity for this additional service? Otherwise I see UP gridlock around Lathrop in the future, at least in the mornings and afternoons/evenings. Passenger trains take a lot of real estate up for their 5 cars and Lathrop uses even more with their switching which at bare minimum uses the Lathrop siding and many times a day also uses the mainline. Be a lot of fun trying to get a through freight train past all this in the physical plant's current form...

I am sure that UP will make sure that they are not negatively affected.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

The four trains will continue for the forseeable future. Once service is extended down to Ceres, the four trains will simply start there rather than just Stockton.

So ACE trains will just terminate at Modesto rather than stockton? 
 

it is interesting to hear of increased commuter train spending in this day and age...........

66

Making plans that are 2-6 years in the future cannot be constrained by today's situations.
Make the plans, then if the virus or other constraints don't change, simply don't make the investment.
But if things do return to some sort of properity, then you're prepared.
Glad to see people thinking a year or five into the future.
 

ble692 Wrote:
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> Are they planning on adding any capacity for this
> additional service? Otherwise I see UP gridlock
> around Lathrop in the future, at least in the
> mornings and afternoons/evenings. Passenger trains
> take a lot of real estate up for their 5 cars and
> Lathrop uses even more with their switching which
> at bare minimum uses the Lathrop siding and many
> times a day also uses the mainline. Be a lot of
> fun trying to get a through freight train past all
> this in the physical plant's current form...

This amateur foamer (me) says double-track Hicks to Calla (or "extend" Calla siding north to Hicks) at the minimum. I'm sure UP will be asking the agencies (ACE and others) to fund the capacity expansion.

I also remember that it's single track through the ex-SP Modesto Depot? Looks like more capacity needed there, too.

< < < This amateur foamer (me) says double-track Hicks to Calla (or "extend" Calla siding north to Hicks) at the minimum. I'm sure UP will be asking the agencies (ACE and others) to fund the capacity expansion.  I also remember that it's single track through the ex-SP Modesto Depot? Looks like more capacity needed there, too. > > >

In addition, both Covell Siding (just south of Salida) and North Modesto Siding are often used as interchange tracks with the Modesto & Empire Traction and can't be used for meets.  They need to move Calla Siding from it's present location (with two major grade crossings through it) to between Austin Road and the City of Ripon (no grade crossings at all), and connect Covell and North Modesto sidings (no grade crossings involved).  They have the room to build one or two new tracks along 9th Street for interchange with the M&ET. 
Where is Hicks?  I don't find it on my timetables.

lynnpowell Wrote:
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> Where is Hicks?  I don't find it on my timetables.

It's where the Fresno and Oakland Sub's cross in Lathrop.

The points brought up in the last 2 points are exactly what I was getting at. Basically a single track railroad with limited meeting locations, plenty of work along the way (Lathrop intermodal, MET interchange, other industries), the long PSR freight trains of the UP, and lots of road crossings all make for a complicated area.

Poking around the ACE website, in addition to the new connection track that would allow movement from northbound on the Fresno Sub to Westbound on the Oakland Sub, I did see mention of double tracking the Lathrop Wye from what appeared to be North Lathrop (CP SP090) to Hicks (CP SP093). That is something, but not enough to avoid operational issues. I sure hope more is planned.

I saw a map at an ACE presentation in Modesto a few years ago.  Per the map, under the expanded ACE, between Lathrop and Tracy the trains would run on the ex-SP into downtown Tracy, then on the ex-SP Altamont line to the Midway area (end of track), wherefrom they were to build new trackage in the shape of a giant "S" up to a connection with the ex-WP.  The current stations in Tracy and Manteca were to be eliminated.  Both Tracy and Manteca have built new downtown "transportation centers" at trackside with use by ACE anticipated.

ble692 Wrote:
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> Are they planning on adding any capacity for this additional service? Otherwise I see UP gridlock around Lathrop in the future...

This would move ACE traffic over to the Tracy Sub (the old SP mainline) from Lathrop into downtown Tracy then on to the Altamont, while UP freight would remain on the Oakland Sub (the old WP mainline).

DJ

Isn't the extension down to Merced suppose to be in addition to Stockton-San Jose service. Meaning trains running south to Merced will be seprate service from the trains running to San Jose. (Like 8 trains from Stockton, 4 to San Jose and 4 to Merced just as an example.) Or are Merced-San Jose trains planned. And apologize in advance for the uniformed question. Very interested in this project.