From Logistics Management Magazine
Gary Gallegos, executive director of the San Diego Association of Governments Regional planners said the issue of a new San Diego County railroad freight line will come up on Friday at a special meeting. The agency's board of directors invited all the state Assembly members and senators representing San DiegoCounty.
A new rail line from Otay Mesa to RiversideCounty would help the region handle increasing volumes of freight from Mexico, officials said.
"The idea here is that we would help pull trucks out of the port and out of Mexico and hopefully put them on rail, get them off of (Interstates) 5 and 15," Gallegos said.
The regional planning agency intends to incorporate a rail proposal into its 2007 update of a regional transportation plan; it would be part of a $10 billion package of projects to improve the movement of goods. A future infrastructure bond could be a good place to begin analyzing and developing the feasibility of the rail proposal, said
The issue emerged this week because officials don't want to miss out on possible funding from the infrastructure bond measures circulating in Sacramento, one of which -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's -- identifies moving freight as a priority.
The board also plans to lobby legislators for protection from future raids on Proposition 42 funds, a sales tax for transportation that has been used in previous years to balance the general fund. Another priority is to increase funding in the governor's infrastructure proposal for public transit.