A Decade of Historic Transformation and Growth at SacRT

Rail Modernization Strong Partnerships Safety First Collaboration for Events Rider Experience Fiscal Management Employee Engagement Future Projects The Road Ahead

What a difference a decade makes.

Under new leadership, the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) has aggressively and thoughtfully chartered a bold new course in the last 10 years, turning itself into a modern, innovative, and customer-focused agency. With a stronger regional presence and a reputation for delivering high-impact service, SacRT plays a vital role in driving economic growth and improving transportation access and quality of life across the region. 

Key Focus Areas

First and foremost, we decisively addressed or eliminated old, reputation-harming issues related to safety, cleanliness, and reliability. Our transit crime rate is now among the lowest in the industry, earning us seven top national safety awards. Our system is clean, our trains and buses are on time, and our new, modern low-floor trains – a part of our $1 billion rail modernization and expansion project – are enhancing our image as a viable transportation option for our region’s workforce.

We have regained the trust of our communities and riders, enabling us to secure new partnerships that annexed multiple transit systems into SacRT, enhancing regional efficiency. In the meantime, we completed a comprehensive bus route optimization to modernize our service, and we are undertaking the process again to enhance efficiency and deliver the highest level of service to our community. 

We launched the nation’s most comprehensive fare-free for student/youth program, dramatically boosting ridership, and laying the groundwork for academic and economic success.

We successfully completed six transit-oriented developments (TODs) with leading regional affordable housing developers, with over 3,000 housing units built, and over 20,000 units in the planning stage, laying a strong foundation for livable, accessible communities near public transit.

We restored internal fiscal stability, going from being in the red a decade ago, to now having a solid annual reserve, and advancing a $2 billion capital program on schedule and on budget.

We’ve implemented a suite of award-winning tech-based innovations such as our latest initiative, Hayden AI camera system on buses – a public-private partnership designed to keep bus stops and bike lanes safe through enforcement.

We successfully deliver quality services for over 50 large events annually, serving as a critical economic and civic driver for the region for the last nine years without any incidents.

We were recognized in Sacramento County polls as the most trustworthy public agency in the region in the last six years by citizens. 

We achieved an average double-digit ridership growth post-COVID annually.

It has not been, and is not now, an easy task to effect needed changes when local funding for transit in the capital region is much lower than other regions around the Golden State. What we do have going for us are regional leaders here and in Washington, DC who believe in our mission. Our success is due to the diligent guidance of an outstanding SacRT governing board led by respected regional leaders such as Patrick Kennedy, Rick Jennings, and Bobbie Singh Allen, and broad community support. 

Notably, we believe we have a generational leader – General Manager/CEO Henry Li, APTA’s 2019 best CEO of the year, who came prepared to make tough decisions, and ruffled some feathers while also mending broken relationships in last decade. Guided by a clear vision, renewed strategic plan, collaborative partnership, along with bold business initiatives, SacRT has achieved historic transformation and growth.

Here are some highlights of our achievements:

Rail System Modernization and Expansion Project (a $1 billion investment)   

Nine years ago, the SacRT Board and CEO Li reaffirmed a core commitment: Putting customers first, by delivering clean, safe, convenient and accessible transit services. This vision launched one of the largest capital projects in our history, the $1 billion Rail Modernization and Expansion Project, to upgrade our aging system that includes 54 stations and 44 miles of track. 

The multi-phased modernization and expansion project is now 75% complete, with full completion expected in early 2027. This project includes acquiring up to 76 modern low-floor rail vehicles and modifying platforms at 48 stations. We also added new tracks that enabled 15-minute service to the City of Folsom – a collaborative effort with Folsom city leaders.

In many ways, it’s remarkable that the project has progressed as far and fast as it has. When we envisioned the program nine years ago, there was no funding set aside for this project. Since then, SacRT adopted a creative, phased approach, successfully assembling the resources needed to move the $1 billion project forward through a remarkable community collaboration by securing $800 million in grants thanks to the strong support of our federal, state and regional partners. And thanks to the collaborative effort and oversight from our customers, we are able to timely make improvements.

In addition to this major undertaking, we have been advancing over 100 additional projects on time and on budget, as a part of our 5-year, $2 billion Capital Improvement Program.  

SacRT’s Firm Commitment to Strong Partnerships with All Stakeholders

At SacRT, we operate and advance our transit system through a coalition of diverse communities. Therefore, we always proactively reach out to stakeholders with swift actions to address concerns. We believe in building relationships that are rooted in transparency, fairness, and accountability. That means working with government, businesses, and civic organizations to deliver high quality service and catalyze growth and prosperity throughout the Sacramento region. That approach has led to numerous community-building successes that have benefited our region and will lead to many more.

Government partnerships:

SacRT’s strong partnerships with local, state, and federal governments have enabled us to navigate complex political and regulatory landscapes to secure more than $1.4 billion in state and federal grants for critical capital, operating and state of good repair improvements.

SacRT always brings a spirit of bipartisan coalition building. For example, in May 2025, the SacRT Board Chair and CEO Li led a bipartisan delegation, including regional elected officials and a leading housing developer, to engage in two in-depth meetings, one with FTA leadership and another with a White House special assistant to the President. CEO Li’s compelling presentations and highly collaborative input from representatives across the political spectrum played a key role in securing nearly $100 million in grant funding for SacRT.

Cities and regional coalitions building:

Six years ago, following improvements in service reliability and safety, SacRT successfully reintegrated five small transit systems, some returning after a two-decade separation. The previous balkanized regional transit model had proven disjointed and costly, forcing riders to make multiple transfers to get to downtown Sacramento. Now, Sacramento has an integrated regional network that provides a seamless experience to millions of riders. Since these annexations, SacRT has honored every commitment, surpassed expectations, and cultivated trusted partnerships.

Business community partnerships:

The service and safety improvements SacRT has successfully implemented come, in fact, from an unprecedented outreach to the business community nearly a decade ago. After CEO Li took the helm at SacRT, facing widespread complaints from the business community, the SacRT Board and CEO Li established a Business Advisory Council consisting of major developers and business leaders to listen to their needs, leading to timely improvements, mended relationships and new partnerships.

Community mobility partnerships:

SacRT and UC Davis Health have partnered to launch the Elk Grove/UC Davis Medical Center Express, a weekday bus service connecting Elk Grove and the UC Davis Medical Center funded by UC Davis Health. In addition, SacRT, UC Davis, UC Davis Health and Yolo County Transportation District (YTD) partnered to deliver the zero-emission Causeway Connection Bus Service between Davis and Sacramento. Both services offer a reliable commute option for employees and students. These successful collaborations offer a scalable model for improving regional mobility.

Membership in regional organizations:

SacRT is now a stronger regional player than ever, allowing us to bring our experience and knowledge to many important organizations in the region. Our CEO Li, plays an active role such as:

The GSEC’s Competitiveness Council (2025 World #1 Economic Development Organization by the International Economic Development Council), where CEO Li has regularly participated in meetings and promotions with investment partners from nations such as Japan, China, Germany, South Korea, etc.

The Metro Chamber, where SacRT is serving as co-chair of the Transportation Committee.

The CA Asian Chamber & Sacramento Asian Chamber, where CEO Li is the current chairman.

SacRT also actively collaborates with regional influential entities such as SACOG and Valley Vision.

Engaging law enforcement leaders:

SacRT along with local partners, Sheriff Jim Cooper, District Attorney Thien Ho and Police Chief Kathy Lester don’t just talk the talk, they have been riding the trains, along with other local law enforcement and community leaders to spotlight their support of SacRT’s commitment to safety, and to help keep riders, community and employees safe.

Being a team player with all jurisdictions:

SacRT owned a 5-mile stretch of unused rail right-of-way through south Sacramento. The city wanted to build a bike path, so SacRT sold the corridor to the City of Sacramento for one dollar. Sacramento now has a popular, world-class dedicated bike and pedestrian trail.

Winning taxpayer confidence:

The Sacramento Taxpayers Association is the region’s leading taxpayers’ group, advocating for responsible government. At their annual events the Association spotlights government agencies assessed to have wasted taxpayer dollars or broke public trust. In 2019 the Association awarded SacRT and CEO Li with the Good Governance Award for Outstanding Leadership in Defending Taxpayer Funds, the only award of its kind in the Association’s history.

Partnering to build needed housing/TODs:

SacRT in recent years has taken a leadership role in helping local cities and private developers find ways to build new housing, focused on affordability in urban areas, notably near rail stations.

In 2018, SacRT worked closely with the City of Sacramento and SACOG to pass the region’s first TOD Ordinance, stipulating certain land uses located on properties within ½ mile of an existing or proposed rail stations. Now thousands of housing units are being built.

SacRT has completed six major TODs along the rail lines, including the Wexler located at the University/65th Street Station and Salvator Apartments at the Arden/Del Paso Station. Dozens of future TODs either under construction or being planned.

Fostering a Strong Safety-First Culture with Leading-edge Innovations 

SacRT decided nearly a decade ago that in order to attract more “choice” riders, we had to improve safety and offer riders a greater sense of security. At the time, fare evasion and crime rates were high systemwide. Today, SacRT bus and rail systems are among the safest in the country. Our crime rate is only 7.5 incidents per million trips taken, and our fare evasion rate dropped from 20% to less than 1%. To accomplish this, we doubled our security team to nearly 200 and created a multi-level security network designed to prevent nuisance behavior and fare evasion.

Our most visible security element is our Transit Ambassador team – friendly but firm stewards who ride on trains checking for fare payment and providing in-person customer services. We also have uniformed guards and officers at stations, and designated DA prosecutors.

We have employed leading-edge technology as the backbone of our security system. Over 1,500 live cameras are deployed systemwide to continuously monitor activities at SacRT facilities in real time from our Security Operations Center (SOC), a surveillance hub located at the City of Sacramento Police Command Center. We also have access to all cameras operated by cities and the county within our service area. Our SOC team can speak directly to people at our stations via a public address system dubbed “The Voice of God” by the news media.

We also have deputized our own riders to be eyes and ears on our system via our “Alert SacRT” app, allowing them to alert us to suspicious behavior or other problems, such as cleanliness issues. 

The perception of safety still presents a challenge, so we are exploring more effective strategies to address this challenge affecting every transit system across the nation.

Extensive Planning and Seamless Collaborations for Large Events  

In the capital region of a state with world’s fourth largest GDP, there are many large events throughout the year. SacRT has played important civic roles in mobilizing special transit services to move masses of people to and from special events, many of them in the urban core. We’ve become quite good at it. 

SacRT provides transportation for more than 50 major events annually, including concerts, parades, festivals, and sports. Our goal is to meet the moment by delivering safe, efficient and seamless service for large crowds. Our strategy emphasizes customer experience through improved signage, innovative technologies, a strong volunteer program for crowd management, and rail inspections and upgrades.

But our role is not just to reduce traffic congestion and parking hassles. We add to the experience. Our trains on Sacramento Kings game nights are gathering places for excitement, anticipation and camaraderie. Our shuttles to concerts and marathon runs are a glue that strengthens communal bonds.

At each event, we strive to reward the trust that our community members and key stakeholders have placed in us. One sign of our success: There have been zero transit-related incidents in the past nine years. Among the many events where we play a critical role:

Golden 1 Center arena and Downtown Commons campus: Attracts more than 2.5 million visitors a year. SacRT’s entire management staff was there on opening night in 2016, and for numerous other events, dressed in SacRT vests to guide people to and from trains and buses.

Aftershock Festival: West Coast’s largest Rock, Punk and Metal Festival with 200k attendees.

California International Marathon: Annual marathon with over 100,000 participants.

Sacramento Republic FC: premier clubs in USL Championship. The club has been breaking league attendance records year over year, selling out of 20,000+ attendees.

Farm-to-Fork Festival: The annual multi-day festival is a significant event in Sacramento’s culinary scene attracting over 100,000 visitors from around the world to Sacramento.

Transforming the Rider Experience with the Highest Service Standards 

Customer satisfaction at SacRT has jumped in the last decade. Surveys consistently found that 83% of riders were satisfied with SacRT service, compared to an industry average closer to 70%. SacRT has achieved this by delivering a clean, safe, accessible and convenient transit service.

Clean: Every day, SacRT staff removes garbage at stations, utilizes a power washer to spot clean any mess or biohazard, and clean off any minor graffiti. Focused deep cleaning and power washing takes place on rotation, at least 3 stations a night.

Safe: Crime and fare evasion are now negligible at SacRT. Transit employees are on almost every train and station to check fares and assist riders. SacRT SOC team monitors more than 1,500 cameras throughout the system, and Alert SacRT APP allows riders to quickly report suspicious activities. 

Accessible: As part of our rail modernization project, our aging cars are being replaced with modern cars that allow riders to step onto the trains from the platforms without having to climb up steep steps. 

Reliable and Convenient: Trip cancellation and on time performance (OTP) are the most common ways to measure the reliability of services. Currently, our rail cancellation rate (less than 1%) and OTP are among the best in the industry; our bus cancellation rate (0.3%) is the best while our Paratransit OTP and cancelation rate are also among the best in the industry.

Customer-Friendly Technology: SacRT is the first transit agency to offer a statewide contactless fare payment option on rail and buses, and launching a new, easy-to-use fare payment app that combines fare payment, trip planning, alerts, and enhanced messaging, among other features. 

Strong Fiscal Management with Business Optimization Initiatives

As a public agency with limited financial resources, we are keenly aware that we must use taxpayers’ dollars efficiently and effectively. Our success in recent years has been achieved by taking innovative approaches to build financial resilience through cost efficiency, business optimization, innovation, and a culture of fiscal accountability at all levels of the organization.

We started 10 years ago essentially from ground zero. Our fares were high, service was skeletal, and reserves were drained. Our financial turnaround since then has been historic. 

We’ve rebuilt those reserves, lowered fares for the first time, progressed to a state of good repair, advanced large-scale capital projects, expanded and launched new services, and have some of the lowest operating costs compared to peers in California.   

In 2021, when most agencies are still on negative credit watch due to the pandemic, S&P Global Ratings elevated SacRT to a positive rating, writing this: “SacRT is faring much better than most transit agencies due to its strong fiscal and governance policies and practices.”

We transitioned from being an industry leader in microtransit service to launching a pioneering ride-share experience, SacRT Flex, delivering comparable results at less than half the cost, with projected savings of $100 million over a 10-year period. 

We have built revenue-enhancing partnerships with private businesses, such as marketing deals on trains and at stations. One of our most creative partnerships is a deal with two private companies and the City of Sacramento to install video cameras using AI technology on our buses to tackle illegal parking to improve safety and accessibility while also collecting parking fine revenues.

Employee Engagement and Leadership Bench Strength Building

Now, more than ever, our fast-changing society requires transit agencies to continually redefine their role in their community. That means changing our agency’s culture to become more open-minded, forward leaning, and inspiring employees to engage in the agency’s journey by embracing changes.

That isn’t easy. But due to our innovative employee engagement initiatives we are fortunate that our workforce overall remains motivated and positive. Multiple surveys found that our workforce scored an 83% satisfaction rating and 93% on “overall happiness.”

Achieving this level of success begins with cultivating a high-performing leadership team. One that drives vision, strategy, and execution at every level to prepare for the moment when it is your time to step up in the ranks.

SacRT fostered an inclusive and equitable environment where employees feel valued and motivated. For example, SacRT, in partnership with ATU Local 256, launched the “Partners Moving Forward” mentorship program, with the inspiring slogan – “No Operator Left Behind.”

SacRT recognizes that our long-term success depends on building a strong pipeline of executive leaders who are prepared to navigate an uncertain future. As part of a thoughtful succession planning strategy, CEO Li has been diligent in coaching and developing his executive team, ensuring they are equipped to step into his role on short notice with confidence and capability.

A sample of List of Future Projects and Initiatives

Downtown Riverfront Streetcar

This $164 million project (fully funded) will offer 15-minute service between West Sacramento’s fast-growing Bridge District and downtown Sacramento.

Sacramento Valley Station Relocation Project

A new light rail station at the Sacramento Valley Station/Amtrak Depot as part of a major effort to turn the historic depot into an Intermodal Transportation Facility – one of the busiest hubs in the nation with 245-acre urban development.

Stockton Blvd & Five Other BRT Corridors

SacRT will introduce “Bus Rapid Transit” or BRT on key main thoroughfares, such as Arden Way, Florin Road, Sunrise Boulevard, and Watt Avenue.

Extension of Blue Line (LRT or BRT) to Elk Grove

SacRT is in the feasibility study for a seven-mile extension into the City of Elk Grove, bringing better transit options to the fast-growing city.

Extension of Green Line (LRT or BRT) to Natomas/Airport

SacRT is conducting a feasibility study to identify options to Sacramento International Airport, serving the entire region.

SacRT Mobility Hubs

SacRT plans to turn many of our rail stations into vibrant mobility hubs, offering electric chargers, e-scooter/bikes, car share programs, and other civic and mobility amenities.

Zero-emissions bus transition / ZEB Maintenance Facility (BMF2)

SacRT will build a $150 million maintenance facility at McClellan Park. These efforts were just jumpstarted with a $77 million federal low-no grant last year to support a new hydrogen station at McClellan.

Potential 2026 or 2028 Transportation Sales Tax Measure

A future transportation sales tax measure could provide critical funding to support many of these transformative projects and initiatives, helping SacRT expand and enhance transit service across the region.

The Road Ahead: Building on a Decade of Progress

SacRT is today among the most ambitious and cutting-edge transit districts in the nation – continuing to implement transformative initiatives using taxpayer funding in a fiscally responsible manner.

SacRT continues to have a tremendous impact on our community, and we are extremely proud of our services. We have a strong Board chaired by top regional elected officials and an outstanding executive leadership team led by an industry leader, that care passionately about this community. Many of the initiatives mentioned in this document are the direct result of their vision. SacRT will continue to raise the bar, driven by a relentless commitment to moving the Sacramento region forward. We’re excited about what the next decade holds. 