Gov. Gavin Newsom grants more power to the state in managing local rail service

Gov. Gavin Newsom over the weekend signed legislation that gives the state more agency in managing the Los Angeles–San Luis Obispo–San Diego rail corridor.

The bill grants power to the state’s transportation secretary to lead “all necessary coordination, collaboration and intervention when necessary” among the nearly one dozen organizations that have a stake in the LOSSAN rail corridor, including railroad owners, transit agencies, planning agencies and freight operators.

The goal of increased state involvement in managing the rail is to help retain and attract riders while minimizing lengthy closures, said Sen. Catherine Blakespear, a Democrat who authored the legislation and represents southern Orange County communities.

“SB 1098 sets the foundation for optimizing rail operations and boosting ridership so we can meet our region’s mobility, air quality and climate goals,” she said.

The rail corridor, a 351-mile stretch of train tracks from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, is currently managed locally by the LOSSAN Agency, a joint-powers authority staffed by the Orange County Transportation Authority.

In Orange County, landslides have repeatedly shuttered the track in San Clemente, where the train runs along the coastline. In January, another landslide sent debris onto the railroad tracks, shutting down the rail line for about a 34-mile stretch for two months.

Earlier this year, several state lawmakers, including Blakespear, implored the state for increased state leadership in managing the LOSSAN corridor to help prevent situations like that.

Once the legislation takes effect next year, the state secretary of transportation, in tandem with the California Department of Transportation, has to compile specific plans that could improve rail services for passengers and freight as well as ensure safe and continued train service.

Those plans must be reported regularly to the state legislature.

The bill also requires the four metropolitan planning organizations in the corridor — San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, Southern California Association of Governments and San Diego Association of Governments — to come up with recommendations to improve rail service and reduce disruptions and present that to the legislature by Feb. 1, 2026.

While the LOSSAN rail corridor once completed more than 8.3 million passenger trips at its peak in 2019, it is now making fewer than 4 million trips annually, according to Blakespear’s office.

The legislation saw bipartisan support in the Assembly and Senate.