The Riverside County Transportation Commission certified the Final Tier 1/Program-Level Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report in July 2022 for proposed daily intercity passenger rail service between Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley. In coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration and the California Department of Transportation, RCTC is proposing this service as an alternate mode of east-west travel across southern California, connecting the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside.

The service would provide game-changing access to jobs and education centers while reducing vehicle miles traveled and combating climate change and air pollution. In addition, the rail service would significantly expand economic opportunities by opening travel to restaurants, resorts, music festivals, sports facilities, and commercial and retail centers. The nine stations also offer a host of transit-oriented development opportunities. The proposed service would extend approximately 144 miles between Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley with stops in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties, including up to six stations on the east end. CV Rail would comprise a substantial segment of Amtrak’s Tucson-Los Angeles corridor. The Tucson-Phoenix-Los Angeles corridor would connect passengers to Amtrak’s Coast Starlight, Pacific Surfliner, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, and Texas Eagle routes, broadening travel opportunities nationwide.

With the certification of the Final Tier 1/Program-Level EIS/EIR, RCTC and Caltrans are actively seeking funding for the Tier 2/Project-Level environmental analysis, which will study specific stations and detailed engineering.