Project Update: New Funding and Feasibility Study

Working in partnership with the City of Sacramento, County of Sacramento, and the Sacramento Transportation Authority, SacRT was awarded $700,000 to study the “Green Line BRT to Sacramento International Airport Project,” with $500,000 coming from a Caltrans Strategic Partnerships grant and $200,000 from a Measure A Smart Growth grant.

This study will deliver a feasibility analysis and conceptual design for a Green Line BRT service connecting Downtown Sacramento to Sacramento International Airport. The initiative responds to the growing transit needs of North and South Natomas and surrounding communities, supporting expanded services to meet the demands of rapid growth and continued airport expansion.

Deliverables include existing conditions analysis, alignment scenarios, ridership projections, traffic modeling, public outreach, cost-benefit analysis, and identification of a Locally Preferred Alternative. The study will begin in early 2027, with the goal of launching new service by 2030.

For more than three decades, SacRT and regional partners have planned for a high-capacity transit connection between downtown Sacramento, North Natomas, and Sacramento International Airport. Beginning with the 1991 System Planning Study, followed by the 1993 Transit Master Plan, the 2001 Multi-Corridor Study, the 2003 Alternatives Analysis, the 2007–2008 Program Environmental Impact Report, and the 2010 Transitional Analysis, each planning effort consistently identified light rail as the preferred long-term transit investment. These studies evaluated multiple alignments, technologies, costs, ridership, and environmental impacts, ultimately selecting the Green Line light rail alignment generally following 7th Street and Truxel Road to the airport.

BRT was not incorporated into earlier studies as the preferred alternative because the planning objective at the time was to identify the region’s ultimate fixed‑guideway investment capable of meeting long-term travel demand and federal New Starts evaluation criteria. While the Green Line remains a long-standing regional priority, the estimated cost of the full extension has grown to approximately $2 billion, reflecting the need for a new American River crossing and other major infrastructure.

In response, SacRT is evaluating a phased implementation strategy that could introduce BRT along much of the planned Green Line corridor to provide near-term mobility benefits, support transit-oriented development, and build ridership. Evaluating or implementing BRT does not replace or preclude the future Green Line. Instead, it provides an opportunity to deliver improved transit sooner while preserving the long-term vision of extending light rail to Sacramento International Airport as funding becomes available.