SacRT is undertaking a Comprehensive Operational Analysis to update the Short Range Transportation Plan (SRTP) 2022-04, and the Long Range Transportation Plan (2009) which is long out of date. Nelson-Nygard was selected as a contractor to support staff in carrying out the analysis and creating the new documents. The analysis is expected to take one year.

STAR will be participating in this analysis as a stakeholder. You can expect to see more posts as the analysis takes place, included ideas, concerns, and positions on the eight bullet points below. We are excited that this analysis is taking place.

SACOG is undertaking a ‘SB 125 Long-Term Financial Plan and Recovery Strategy‘ for the four-county SACOG region. The two processes are related but separate.

From the 2024-12-09 SacRT Board meeting, agenda item 2.8 on the consent agenda:

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SB 125 guides the distribution of $4 billion of transportation funds to California’s regional transportation planning agencies. SACOG was the designated recipient for the region’s SB 125 allocation of over $200 million. With this allocation, SACOG had the flexibility to use the money to fund transit operations or capital improvements, of which they did both.

SB 125 includes an accountability program to govern the distribution of these funds, which includes the requirement that metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) provide a fiscal sustainability plan for transit operators in their region. As part of SacRT’s Fiscal Year 2025 SB 125 funding allocation, SacRT requested $1 million to develop a COA to help meet its fiscal sustainability goals. With an eye on the future, this effort will encompass updates to SacRT’s Short-Range Transit Plan (SRTP) and Long-Range Transit Plan (LRTP) with fiscal sustainability being a key objective of both plans.

Key objectives of the COA include:

• Updating SacRT’s SRTP to assure fiscal sustainability in the years ahead (i.e., reduce reliance on one-time funds such as SB125)
• Review and potentially reposition SacRT’s mix of modes (i.e., where and when fixed-route versus non-fixed route service is provided) to assure cost-effectiveness, fiscal sustainability, and other agency priorities (e.g., socioeconomic equity and balance between member jurisdictions)
• Assessing and potentially introducing new service delivery models (e.g., Mobility as a Service (MaaS) versus Software as a Service (SaaS) for non-fixed-route services)
• Updating service standards to include all modes (i.e., including microtransit) and to include level-of-service guidelines based on population and job density (i.e., similar to existing Federal criteria used to evaluate new light rail extensions) to guide service changes, system expansion, regional transportation planning, and land-use planning
• Unifying transit network design and fare structure across SacRT’s service area (i.e., reflecting annexations of Citrus Heights, Folsom, and Elk Grove) and to reflect changes in travel patterns (i.e., from the COVID-19 pandemic and suburbanization)
• Potentially streamlining job classifications created for specific “service lines” or pilot program (e.g., Neighborhood Ride, Folsom Transit, Elk Grove Transit, SacRT GO) to simplify organization and improve flexibility
• Updating SacRT’s LRTP, including a fresh look at major fixed guideway expansion projects, better adherence to service and performance standards, and better agreement with the regional transportation plan (i.e., SACOG’s Blueprint)
• As part of the LRTP update, prepare and secure public awareness and support for at least one fiscally constrained expansion scenario that could serve as the basis for a local funding measure on the November 2026 ballot

SacRT’s last LRTP was the 2009 Transit Action Plan. SacRT’s most recent SRTP was adopted in 2022 and covers the period through 2027. SacRT’s most recent COA, entitled SacRT Forward, was implemented in 2019.

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• Comprehensive Operational Analysis