The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC), acting as lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for ACEforward. The full Notice of Availability (NOA) and the DEIR provide a full description of the project and can be viewed online at: www.aceforward.com.

ACEforward is a phased improvement plan proposed by the SJRRC to increase service reliability and frequency, enhance passenger facilities, reduce travel times along the existing ACE service corridor from San Jose to Stockton and extend ACE service to Manteca, Modesto, Ceres, Turlock and Merced. This plan would provide the foundation for SJRRC’s near-term and longer-term vision of intercity and commuter passenger rail services.

SJRRC has prepared a DEIR studying potential environmental effects of the proposed enhancements and identifying ways to avoid or mitigate them. This DEIR became available for a 60-day public review period beginning on May 31.

To view the NOA and the DEIR, or to view a list of the 26 libraries where hardcopies of the DEIR will be available, visit www.aceforward.com.

Learn more about ACEforward and the DEIR, ask questions, and provide written comments at one of six open houses. Open houses will be held at central locations along the corridor. Visit www.aceforward.com for meeting dates and locations.

Locally, a session is scheduled at the Modesto Centre Plaza, Pistache Room at 1000 L St., Modesto on Wednesday, June 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The comment period for the ACEforward DEIR continues through July 31, 2017. Comments can be submitted via email to aceforwardEIR@acerail.com with subject line “ACEforward DEIR.”

Written comments can be mailed to: San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, ATTN: ACEforward DEIR, 949 E. Channel St., Stockton, CA 95202.