Merced

The high-speed rail station in Merced is environmentally cleared to be located adjacent to State Route (SR) 99 and the Union Pacific Railroad (UPPR) line on SR 59 – also known as Martin Luther King Jr. Way – and the SR 99 interchange. The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) is studying an alternative station location between O and R Streets in downtown Merced along 16th Street.

The Authority is proposing to relocate the Merced Station from its current at-grade location between G Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way (approved by the Authority in April 2012), to a new location on an elevated structure between O and R Streets in downtown Merced. This new station location, proposed by the City of Merced in 2016, is supported by the Authority and the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). The Merced extension will include the new station location, which is currently undergoing an environmental re-examination.

With this new location, the Merced Station is envisioned to be an integrated intermodal station serving high-speed rail, San Joaquin Amtrak through the Merced Intermodal Track Connection (MITC) infrastructure project, and Altamont Corridor Express (ACE).

The City of Merced and the Authority are working together to develop a station area plan serving downtown Merced, the University of California-Merced, Merced County and the upper San Joaquin Central Valley. This joint effort will create a vision for the Merced Station and the station area and generate economic and station area development through enhanced access to existing local and regional transportation systems.

Overview map of the future Merced station

Merced Station Map

STATION COMMUNITY DETAILS

Project Section

The Merced Station community is part of the Merced to Fresno Project Section.

Location

The Merced Station is currently environmentally cleared to be located adjacent to SR 99 and the UPRR line on SR 59 – also known as Martin Luther King Jr. Way – and the SR 99 interchange. The Authority is studying an alternate station location between O and R Streets in downtown Merced along 16th Street.

Operating Phase

The Merced Station will be part of the initial Central Valley operating service. It will act as the northern terminal of the system until the beginning of the Silicon Valley to Central Valley operating service. In 2020, a memorandum of understanding was signed between CalSTA, the Authority, and the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority for cooperation and coordination in the development of an interim service plan.

Status

In April 2022, the Authority’s Board of Directors approved moving forward with the release of a Request for Qualification for Design Services for the four Central Valley stations – Merced, Fresno, Kings/Tulare, and Bakersfield. Station design should start later in 2022. The regional consultant is also developing a project description to evaluate the Merced extension from the environmentally cleared location at Martin Luther King Jr. Way to O Street.

Nearby Vicinity Connecting Partners

More Information

RELATED PROJECT SECTIONS

Visit: Merced to Fresno and Central Valley Wye

INTERACTIVE MAPS

Rendering of the Fresno Station building

Watch Conceptual Station Community

This video is a conceptual representation of how a Station Community could can grow over time, and is not intended to depict how the actual stations will look. The concept represents plans for sustainability, functionality, and the use of best practices at each of the high-speed rail stops.

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