FOLSOM, Calif. — Folsom city staff will express concerns Tuesday night to City Council about a recreational railroad track in the city’s plan area.
The Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad (PSVRR) is a nonprofit organization operating recreational and historical train excursions over 15 miles of track between Folsom in Sacramento County and Latrobe in El Dorado County, according to PSVRR president Jim Harville.
Harville said PSVRR needs a license to operate, which is generally granted by the Sacramento-Placerville Transportation Corridor Joint Powers Authority (SPTC-JPA) made up of member agencies including Sacramento Regional Transit, Sacramento County, El Dorado County and Folsom.
The license was last renewed in 2018, and it expired December 2023, he said.
Harville said Folsom staff is lobbying hard for city leaders to take preemptive action and shut down the excursion rail before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) weighs in on PSVRR operations.
“The biggest nut to crack is the Capital Southeast Connector and its relationship to the railroad,” Harville said. “Do they put a bridge or crossing gates such as we have out there right now, or do they pull up the road in that section?”
In October 2023, Folsom city staff met with SPTC-JPA about PSVRR rail operations crossing the nine-mile Capital Southeast Connector segment at White Rock Road, according to city documents. The segment was completed one year earlier in October 2022.
“Historically, Folsom has supported our efforts,” Harville said. “The Folsom Ranch development has caused them to get a little nervous.”
Harville said he will present to city council Tuesday night cost-effective grade separation options to continue excursion services — essentially, an overpass.
“There is an angle that they have yet to look at where you put a precast concrete tunnel and you backfill it,” Harville said. “Our engineers have analyzed it and the amount of material they need to dig up for excavation. In construction terms, it would make a lot of sense to keep the material in the project instead of carting it off.”
City staff said they intend to submit a proposed license agreement for consideration on Feb. 5 but request that City Council first give input on the matter Tuesday.
“If the city of Folsom decides to continue the excursion rail services…financial commitments to improve the infrastructure to accommodate the crossing of the (Capital Southeast Connector) could fall on the city of Folsom,” staff said in city documents.
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