Article 3. Activities of California Government Code >> Division 3. >> Title 2. >> Part 5. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 3.

The powers and duties of the department include, but are not limited to, all of the following activities:
  (a) Supporting the commission in coordinating and developing, in cooperation with local and regional entities, comprehensive balanced transportation planning and policy for the movement of people and goods within the state.
  (b) Coordinating and assisting, upon request of, the various public and private transportation entities in strengthening their development and operation of balanced integrated mass transportation, highway, aviation, maritime, railroad, and other transportation facilities and services in support of statewide and regional goals.
  (c) Developing, in cooperation with local and regional transportation entities, the full potential of all resources and opportunities that are now, and may become, available to the state and to regional and local agencies for meeting California's transportation needs, as provided by statutes and, in particular, maximizing the amount of federal funds that may be available to the state and increasing the efficiency by which those funds are utilized.
  (d) Planning, designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining those transportation systems that the Legislature has made, or may make, the responsibility of the department; provided that the department is not authorized to assume the functions of project planning, designing, constructing, operating, or maintaining maritime or aviation facilities without express prior approval of the Legislature with the exception of those aviation functions that have been designated for the department in the Public Utilities Code.
  (e) Coordinating and developing transportation research projects of statewide interest.
  (f) Exercising other functions, powers, and duties as are or may be provided for by law.
  (g) With the Department of Housing and Community Development, investigating and reporting to the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Business, Consumer Services, and Housing upon the consistency between state, local, and federal housing plans and programs and state, local, and federal transportation plans and programs.

The Governor, the secretary, and the department may enter into such agreements, execute such documents, establish and manage such accounts and deposits, and take any other action that may be appropriate, in accordance with federal law and rules and regulations, to receive and expend funds from the federal government in connection with mass transportation programs and projects for which federal funds are available. The department may undertake mass transportation research, development, and demonstration projects and perform technical studies related thereto, in accordance with applicable state or federal laws.

In accordance with federal regulation (49 C.F.R. 661.21), the state or a local agency, relative to the use of federal funds for transit purposes, shall be authorized to provide a bidding preference to a bidder if the bidder exceeds Buy America requirements applicable to federally funded transit projects. The state and each local agency shall have the discretion to apply those preferences. The Department of General Services shall have the sole authority to establish policies and procedures for use of this section by state agencies, as defined in Section 11000.

(a) The Mass Transit Revolving Account is hereby created in the State Transportation Fund. The sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) is hereby transferred from the Transportation Planning and Development Account to the Mass Transit Revolving Account and appropriated to the department for expenditure for effectuating the purposes of the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964, as amended.
  (b) Allocations may be made by the department from the Mass Transit Revolving Account to an applicant for the advance purchase of vehicles for programs reimbursable from the funds available from the Urban Mass Transportation Act, as amended, when such advance purchase will eliminate unnecessary delays in the procurement, purchase, and delivery of the vehicles.
  (c) The department shall keep a record of all allocations pursuant to subdivision (b) and the account shall be reimbursed in full from the federal funds and local funds.
  (d) The provisions of this section shall only be utilized during those fiscal years in which federal funds are available under the Urban Mass Transportation Act, as amended.

(a) The Governor shall include in the Budget Bill an appropriation from the Transportation Planning and Development Account in the State Transportation Fund or from other appropriate sources to subsidize the operating costs of commuter and intercity passenger services pursuant to Section 14035 and an appropriation for capital outlay improvements to, and rolling stock for, intercity routes pursuant to Section 14038.
  (b) The department shall request funding for capital improvements to commuter routes to which it provides subsidies through the transit capital improvement process established by Section 99317 of the Public Utilities Code.
  (c) The department shall request funding for capital improvements and rolling stock for intercity rail passenger routes pursuant to Sections 14035 and 14038 through the transit capital improvement process established by the Public Utilities Code.
  (d) This section does not apply to funds made available from general obligation bonds issued for purposes of Section 164.55 of the Streets and Highways Code.

Prior to any allocation pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14031. 6, for any recommended new service, the department shall submit a report to the commission consisting of the following:
  (a) The speeds and other service attributes needed.
  (b) Needed facilities and manpower specifications.
  (c) The avoidable costs of direct services joint-use arrangements, capital facilities, and other necessary arrangements.
  (d) An estimate of total costs for proposed services.
  (e) An inventory and evaluation of other existing transportation services in the corridor.
  (f) The market potential encompassing modal diversion and operating revenues.
  (g) For any commuter service, the compatibility of the service with the affected regional transportation plan. During the preparation of this report, the department shall draw upon the resources of the Public Utilities Commission and any other available resource. This report shall become a part of the department' s proposed state transportation improvement program.

(a) The Secretary of Transportation shall establish, through an annual budget process, the level of state funding available for the operation of intercity passenger rail service in each corridor.
  (b) Where applicable, operating funds shall be allocated by the secretary to the joint powers board in accordance with an interagency transfer agreement that includes mutually agreed-upon rail services. Funds for the administration and marketing of services, as appropriate, shall also be transferred by the secretary to the joint powers board, subject to the terms of the interagency agreement.
  (c) The joint powers board or local or regional entities may augment state-provided resources to expand intercity passenger rail services, or to address funding shortfalls in achieving agreed-upon performance standards. The joint powers board or local or regional agencies may, but shall not be required to, identify and secure new supplemental sources of funding for the purpose of expanding or maintaining intercity rail passenger service levels, which may include state and federal intercity rail resources. Local resources may be available to offset any redirection, elimination, reduction, or reclassification by the state of state resources for operating intercity passenger rail services identified in subdivision (b) only if the local resources are dedicated by a vote of the local agency providing funds, with the concurrence of the joint powers board.
  (d) The department may provide any support services as may be mutually agreed upon by the joint powers board and the department.
  (e) Operating costs shall be controlled by dealing with, at a minimum, the Amtrak cost allocation formula and the ability to contract out to Amtrak or other rail operators as a part of federal legislation dealing with Amtrak reauthorization.
  (f) (1) Not later than June 30, 2014, the secretary shall establish a set of uniform performance standards for all corridors and operators to control cost and improve efficiency.
  (2) To the extent necessary, as determined by the secretary, performance standards may be modified not later than July 30, 2015, or the effective date of the interagency transfer agreement, whichever comes first.
  (3) Feeder bus services that provide connections for intercity rail passengers shall not be terminated unless the bus services fail to meet the cost-effectiveness standard described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 14035.2.

The department shall provide reports and analyses for the commission on all of the following:
  (a) The review and evaluation of regional transportation plans and improvement programs for the identification of conflicts between such plans and programs.
  (b) The identification and analysis of current and potential future issues of importance to transportation within the state.
  (c) The preparation of an annual and of a five-year estimate of all federal and state funds available to each region for transportation improvements.
  (d) The preparation of special studies as requested by the commission.
  (e) Other matters as requested by the commission.

The department may assist regional transportation planning agencies with the preparation of regional transportation plans and improvement programs by providing technical services and other assistance as determined by the director and the transportation planning agency as necessary for the timely and comprehensive discharge of the responsibilities of the transportation planning agency.

The department shall, within existing resources, collect, analyze, and summarize highway congestion data and make it available upon request to California regional transportation planning agencies, congestion management agencies, and transit agencies.

The department shall publish annually a list of major new facility projects, exclusive public mass transit guideway projects, and operational improvement projects that are beyond the five-year program for the expenditure of state transportation funds, as set forth in the state transportation improvement program. The list shall be made available to the commission, each transportation planning agency, and each county transportation commission not later than January 10th of each year. Not later than April 1st of each year, every transportation planning agency may comment on the projects contained in the list and submit such comments to the commission. After taking into consideration the department's list and the comments submitted by the transportation planning agencies, the commission shall review the list and may make any changes, including additions or deletions, to the list. The commission shall adopt the list on or before July 1st of each year. On January 1, 1981, and quarterly thereafter, the department shall provide the report concerning the project development schedule and the advertising schedule as required pursuant to Section 2 of Chapter 1060 of the Statutes of 1979 to each transportation planning agency and each county transportation commission.

(a) During the planning and development of any proposed commuter rail service, the department shall consult with the county transportation commission and the transportation planning agency affected by any such proposal.
  (b) County transportation commissions and transportation planning agencies may review and comment during a public hearing on the priority list specified in Section 14538.
  (c) Prior to any allocation pursuant to Section 14031.6, county transportation commissions and transportation planning agencies shall be notified at least 20 days before any such allocation is considered by the commission at a public hearing.

(a) The department may enter into contracts with the National Railroad Passenger Corporation under Section 403(b) of the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970 to provide commuter and intercity passenger rail services. The contracts may include, but are not limited to, the extension of intercity passenger rail services or the upgrading of commuter rail services.
  (b) The department may contract with railroad corporations for the use of tracks and other facilities and the provision of passenger services on terms and conditions as the parties may agree.
  (c) The department may construct, acquire, or lease, and improve and operate, rail passenger terminals and related facilities that provide intermodal passenger services along the following corridors: the San Diego-Los Angeles-Santa Barbara corridor, the San Francisco-San Jose-Monterey corridor, the Los Angeles-Riverside-San Bernardino-Calexico corridor, the San Jose-Oakland-Sacramento-Reno corridor, the Los Angeles-Bakersfield-Fresno-Stockton-Sacramento-Oakland corridor, and the Los Angeles-Santa Barbara-Oakland-Sacramento-Redding corridor.
  (d) The department may enter into a contract with the National Railroad Passenger Corporation to provide additional trains over the San Joaquin route running between Bakersfield and Oakland and to extend the existing route to Sacramento.
  (e) The Transportation Agency of Monterey County may be a party to any contract entered into under this section between the department and the National Railroad Passenger Corporation for passenger rail service along the San Francisco-San Jose-Monterey corridor.

Commuter rail service shall be provided to the communities between San Jose and Gilroy if the conditions specified in subdivision (a) of Section 14035.4 are completed. Upon the completion of those conditions, the powers and duties of the Department of Transportation with respect to the San Francisco Peninsula commuter rail service shall apply to the San Jose-Gilroy segment.

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that the department adopt and implement the following policies applicable to the operation of feeder bus service provided by the department to and from rail terminals :
  (1) Comprehensive marketing strategies to promote, in a cost-effective manner, ridership on intercity rail and feeder bus routes, including notification to the public of new routes and services and modifications to schedules affecting existing routes and services.
  (2) Marketing new routes and services prior to the first day of service to avoid low ridership, similar to the marketing approach taken by major airlines with respect to new services.
  (3) Implementation of feeder bus services based on evaluations of ridership needs and estimated break-even points. For this purpose, break-even points would be determined by conceptually assigning to a bus service all estimated revenue generated by a feeder bus passenger on the bus and train portions of a trip, and routes that fail to reach break-even points within a reasonable time period would be restructured or discontinued.
  (4) Monitoring of feeder bus services to ensure that routes are operated, generally and individually, in a cost-effective manner, that they continue to respond to ridership needs, that bus stops are adequately signed and are located near public telephones, and that they promote and enhance a growing interest in the state's intercity rail program.
  (b) If federal rural transit funds are available to the department for intercity services, the department shall use those funds in support of appropriate intercity feeder bus services that are coordinated to meet intercity rail services at train stations and associated capital facilities.

The department may request a railroad corporation under contractual obligation to the department for services to institute operating efficiencies, other than with respect to the size of operating crews, in connection with the service under contract. The railroad corporation shall respond to the department's request within 30 days after the initial request. In the event of a failure to respond, or refusal by the railroad corporation to effect those operating efficiencies, the Public Utilities Commission, within 60 days after application by the department, shall order the institution of operating efficiencies, if it finds, after a public hearing, that the efficiencies are necessary for the preservation of safety, for the continuation of the service, or for the expansion of service.

The department shall request the involvement and cooperation of affected local agencies and public and private passenger carriers in decisions relative to the acquisition, development, and operation of intermodal passenger facilities.

The department may enter into contracts with common carriers, as defined by Section 211 of the Public Utilities Code, or with any corporation, partnership, or person to provide feeder services to and from rail passenger terminals or intercity bus transportation. In contracting for intercity bus transportation, the department may fund fixed route, scheduled services which primarily provide service between nonurbanized communities and passenger air terminals with 1980 volumes of 1,000,000 passengers or less. "Nonurbanized community" means any city or territory which does not meet the criteria for an "urbanized area," as defined by the Bureau of Census of the United States Department of Commerce on page 66185 in Number 195 of Volume 45 of the Federal Register for October 6, 1980. The department may construct, acquire or lease, improve, and operate bus passenger terminals and related facilities which provide intermodal passenger services.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
  (1) Intercity passenger bus service provided by intercity bus companies on a regular-route basis is the only public mass transportation service in the state to provide surface transportation without public subsidy.
  (2) The long-term maintenance of private sector intercity passenger service is of vital importance to the state.
  (3) Intercity bus companies serve many communities throughout California, providing a network of connection points without equal by any other mode of public or private transportation.
  (b) To the extent permitted by federal law, the department shall encourage Amtrak and motor carriers of passengers to do both of the following:
  (1) Combine or package their respective services and facilities to the public as a means of improving services to the public.
  (2) Coordinate schedules, routes, rates, reservations, and ticketing to provide for enhanced intermodal surface transportation.
  (c) Except as authorized under subdivisions (e) and (f), the department may provide funding to Amtrak for the purpose of entering into a contract with a motor carrier of passengers for the intercity transportation of passengers by motor carrier over regular routes only if all of the following conditions are met:
  (1) The motor carrier is not a public recipient of governmental assistance, as defined in Section 13902(b)(8)(A) of Title 49 of the United States Code, other than a recipient of funds under Section 5311(f) of that title and code. This paragraph does not apply if a local public motor carrier proposes to serve passengers only within its service area.
  (2) Service is provided only for passengers on trips where the passengers have had prior movement by rail or will have subsequent movement by rail, evidenced by a combination rail and bus one-way or roundtrip ticket, or service is also provided on State Highway Route 50 between the City of Sacramento and the City of South Lake Tahoe and intermediate points or on State Highway Route 5 between the community of Lebec in Kern County and the City of Santa Clarita for passengers solely by bus if no other bus service is provided by a private intercity bus company.
  (3) Vehicles of the motor carrier, when used to transport passengers pursuant to paragraph (2), are used exclusively for that purpose.
  (4) The motor carrier is registered with the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) and operates in compliance with the federal motor carrier safety regulations, and provides service that is accessible to persons with disabilities in compliance with applicable DOT regulations pertaining to Amtrak services, in accordance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336).
  (d) The department shall incorporate the conditions specified in subdivision (c) into state-supported passenger rail feeder bus service agreements between Amtrak and motor carriers of passengers. The bus service agreements shall also provide that a breach of those conditions shall be grounds for termination of the agreements.
  (e) Notwithstanding subdivisions (c) and (d), the department may provide funding to Amtrak for the purpose of entering into a contract with a motor carrier of passengers to transport Amtrak passengers on buses operated on a route, if the buses are operated by the motor carrier as part of a regularly scheduled, daily bus service that has been operating consecutively without an Amtrak contract for 12 months immediately prior to contracting with Amtrak.
  (f) Notwithstanding subdivisions (c) and (d), or any other provision of law, the department may enter into a contract, either directly with a public motor carrier in the County of Monterey, or indirectly with that carrier through a contract with Amtrak, to provide mixed-mode feeder bus service on the San Jose-Gilroy-Monterey route. The contract with a public motor carrier may only be entered into if the department determines that there is no private motor carrier providing scheduled bus service on the San Jose-Gilroy-Monterey route. However, the contract shall be terminated, within 120 days' notice to the public motor carrier, if a private motor carrier again operates a scheduled service on the San Jose-Gilroy-Monterey route.
  (g) Pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c), the department may amend its contract with Amtrak to add a term to provide bus service to passengers traveling solely by bus on the Sacramento-South Lake Tahoe route and between Lebec and Santa Clarita on the Bakersfield-Santa Clarita route. A contract amendment with Amtrak may only be entered into if the department determines that there is no private motor carrier providing scheduled bus service on the route that is the subject of the contract amendment. However, the applicable contract amendment shall be terminated, within 120 days' notice to Amtrak, if a private carrier again operates a scheduled bus service on the Sacramento-South Lake Tahoe route, or within 60 days' notice to Amtrak, if a private carrier again operates a scheduled bus service between Lebec and Santa Clarita on the Bakersfield-Santa Clarita route.
  (h) The department shall undertake a two-year study of patronage on the bus service operated between the City of Sacramento and the City of South Lake Tahoe and intermediate points pursuant to subdivision (g), identifying the number of passengers who are transferring to an Amtrak rail service and those who are traveling solely on the bus service. The study shall identify the revenue from each category of passengers and include other pertinent ridership information. The report shall be submitted to the transportation policy committees of the Legislature no later than March 1, 2010.
  (i) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
  (1) "Amtrak" means the National Railroad Passenger Corporation.
  (2) "Department" means the Department of Transportation or the department's successor with respect to providing funds to subsidize Amtrak service.
  (3) "Motor carrier of passengers" means a person or entity providing motor vehicle transportation of passengers for compensation.
  (4) "Mixed-mode feeder bus service" means bus service carrying both passengers connecting to or from a rail service and passengers only using the bus service.

The department shall encourage the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, Amtrak, and any private motor carrier of passengers that operates regular service on the route described in subdivision (a) of Section 14035.56 to develop and execute a memorandum of understanding that addresses the long-term solutions to the transportation needs of passengers traveling by bus between the City of Santa Cruz and the City of San Jose on service operated substantially on State Highway Route 17. The memorandum shall address the necessary funding and capital needs to provide this public transit service, and other operational requirements for additional public transit service on this route. The memorandum shall also address ways that Amtrak, local public transit operators, and local private sector motor carriers of passengers may combine or package their respective services and facilities to the public as a means of improving services to the public.

In developing or funding intermodal passenger service facilities, the department shall give full consideration to existing and projected operational requirements of all participating passenger carriers. In setting fees for facility use assessed on passenger carriers, the department shall give fair and equitable treatment to all transportation carriers regardless of mode.

Funds allocated for commuter rail purposes shall be consistent with the regional transportation plan and the regional transportation improvement program for the region in which they will be expended, unless a finding specified in Section 14530 is made by the commission.

The department shall in conjunction with the Department of Corrections evaluate the addition of stations or stops on existing bus or rail routes, or the addition of new services, which improve transportation access for visitors to prisons. The department shall give reasonable priority to stations, stops, and routes which serve visitors to prisons, particularly when alternative public transportation is minimal or nonexistent. Whenever possible, the department and the Department of Corrections shall seek to implement these services in conjunction with the opening of new prison facilities. The Department of Corrections shall publicize the availability of services provided by the department under this section.

(a) The department shall prepare a State Rail Plan. The plan shall be submitted to the California Transportation Commission for its advice six months prior to the submission of the plan pursuant to subdivisions (c) and (d). Pursuant to Section 22702 of Title 49 of the United States Code, the department is designated as the state rail transportation authority to prepare, maintain, coordinate, and administer the plan.
  (b) The plan shall contain all of the following:
  (1) A statement of compliance with the requirements set forth in the federal Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-432; 49 U.S.C. Sec. 22701 et seq.).
  (2) Plans for a comprehensive and integrated statewide passenger rail system, including high-speed rail, conventional intercity and commuter rail, and connections to urban rail systems. Related to the conventional intercity passenger rail program, these plans shall include all of the following:
  (A) Recommendations for service levels of, and a capital program for, existing and proposed intercity passenger rail services over a 10-year period, including a list of service enhancements on existing and additional routes, with recommendations regarding funding and priority. The plans shall explain how the recommended service levels support the comprehensive and integrated passenger rail system.
  (B) All actual capital and operating expenditures over the prior five years.
  (C) All proposed capital and operating expenditures for the next five years.
  (D) A performance evaluation for the prior five years for each existing route.
  (E) A discussion of fare policies and practices.
  (3) A review of all high-speed rail routes, the rail freight system, conventional intercity and commuter passenger rail systems, and urban rail system connections to high-speed rail and conventional intercity and commuter passenger rail systems, including a statement of the state's passenger rail objectives for routes in the state.
  (4) In consultation with the freight railroad industry, an identification of the improvements that have utility to both rail freight and passenger rail services in the state.
  (5) An inventory of the existing rail transportation system and rail services and facilities in the state, and an analysis of the role of rail transportation within the state's overall transportation system.
  (6) A freight rail element that contains all of the following:
  (A) Environmental impacts that include air quality, land use, and community impacts.
  (B) Financing issues that include the planned means to obtain federal and state funding.
  (C) Rail issues that include regional, intrastate, and interstate issues.
  (D) Intermodal connections that include seaports and intermodal terminals.
  (E) A statement of current system deficiencies.
  (F) Service objectives that improve efficiency, accessibility, and safety.
  (G) New technology that includes logistics and process improvement.
  (H) Light density rail line analyses that include traffic density, track characteristics, project selection criteria, and benefit-cost criteria.
  (c) The final plan shall be submitted to the Transportation Agency for approval pursuant to Section 22702 of Title 49 of the United States Code. On or before March 1, 2017, the approved plan shall be submitted to the Legislature pursuant to Section 9795, the Governor, the Public Utilities Commission, the High-Speed Rail Authority, and the commission.
  (d) The plan shall be updated, at a minimum, every five years thereafter.

As part of its ongoing marketing activities to increase the utilization and performance of rail and bus services operated pursuant to this article, the department may seek to increase awareness of these services on the part of students attending public and private colleges and universities located in cities served by these trains and feeder buses. The department, in cooperation with public college and university systems, may develop suitable materials for regular distribution to students at the beginning of academic terms. The department may also work with the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) to implement student multiride discount ticketing programs designed for home to college trips, similar to programs already implemented in other states by Amtrak and the state agency responsible for intercity rail passenger service. The Legislature finds that college students, while potentially a natural market for these public transportation services, are frequently unaware of these services. Marketing activities should recognize the highly transient nature of college students and the need to continuously publicize available services using inexpensive media where appropriate. The department shall report on its marketing activities, including activities conducted pursuant to this section, in the rail passenger development plan prepared pursuant to Section 14036.

The department shall report in the rail passenger development plan prepared pursuant to Section 14036 on the amount of funds available to the state under the federal rail-highway crossings program (23 U.S.C. Sec. 130), including the cash balance, funds encumbered during the last year, and amounts anticipated to be received during the subsequent year. The plan shall also discuss any issues relating to the department's ability to spend these federal funds on a timely basis.

(a) As part of its marketing activities in support of intercity rail services and associated feeder bus services, the department shall provide for complete train and bus schedule information, for services funded or otherwise coordinated by the department, to be published in existing, comprehensive nationwide transportation schedule publications for bus and rail services. The department is not required to provide for publication of the schedule information specified in subdivision (a) if complete bus and train schedules are published by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) in its nationwide timetable (Form A) in addition to the department's own California timetable.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
  (1) Rail passes offering unlimited travel on certain passenger rail and associated transit services for a specified period of time and a fixed price have been a success in Europe, Canada, and Alaska.
  (2) A "California Pass," valid on state-funded intercity and commuter rail lines, state-funded feeder buses, and major local transit systems would be a major benefit to tourism, while at the same time providing a package of transportation options which do not worsen highway congestion.
  (3) Use of a single payment mechanism makes existing mass transportation services easier to use, by eliminating the need for familiarity with multiple complex tariffs and the need for correct change.
  (b) The department shall investigate, and if feasible implement, a "California Pass" which would be valid, to the extent possible, for all of the following transportation services:
  (1) State-funded intercity rail services in the San Diego-Los Angeles, Los Angeles-Santa Barbara, Los Angeles-Fresno-bay area/Sacramento, and Sacramento-bay area rail corridors.
  (2) State-funded feeder buses operated in conjunction with the intercity rail services, including, but not limited to, the service operated between Merced and Yosemite National Park for the San Joaquin trains.
  (3) Commuter rail services.
  (4) Public transit services.
  (5) Other transportation services.
  (c) The department shall consider offering passes valid for travel over a specified consecutive number of days, as well as so-called "flexi-passes" valid for a specified number of days within a longer period of time. In addition, the department shall develop a procedure for distributing pass revenues to each participating operating entity, and for marketing the pass to prospective users.
  (d) Prior to implementing a "California Pass" program, the department shall consult with each participating operating entity. The department shall not adopt procedures for the distribution of pass revenues without first submitting the proposed procedures to each affected operating entity.
  (e) Nothing in this section precludes the department from implementing, as an interim measure, any marketing device to increase ridership on state-funded rail and bus services.

The department shall give high priority to the development of direct linkages between intercity rail passenger services and airports served by commercial airlines and to developing feeder bus linkages connecting intercity rail services and airports. The department shall coordinate its provision of feeder bus service with local and regional bus and rail services to avoid duplication of service. The department shall include in the rail passenger development plan prepared pursuant to Section 14036, a report on the status of all existing intercity rail station facilities that serve airports directly and indirectly and on the department's activities in improving other linkages between rail service and airports. The department shall, to the extent feasible, utilize alternative-fuel buses for its feeder bus service.

(a) The department, using existing rail marketing funds, shall fully participate in the railroad public safety awareness program known as "Operation Lifesaver." The department shall work with school officials to develop a school assembly program designed to enhance student awareness of the dangers of trespassing on railroad property, and the operating characteristics of trains. Initially, the school assembly program shall be implemented on the route of the department-sponsored Capitol Corridor. School officials shall cooperate with the department to identify the schools most affected by the operation of higher speed passenger trains.
  (b) The department shall provide appropriate signs to be posted on or adjacent to railroad property within 1,000 feet of schools where upgrading of railroad lines has resulted in an increase of operating speeds of passenger trains on those lines by 20 mph or more on or after December 1, 1991. The signs shall be designed to communicate both in words and in pictures, using internationally recognized symbols, to warn of train-related hazards. The signs shall be posted on the school side of the railroad property at a site to be determined by school officials and railroad representatives. At the request of the department, a railroad that owns the property specified in this subdivision shall install and maintain the signs.
  (c) For the purposes of this section, a "school" is any public school that maintains classes in kindergarten or of grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
  (d) The installation or maintenance of signs pursuant to this section shall not in any way affect the liability of the state or any of its agencies, officers, or employees, or of the owner of the railroad right-of-way, on account of personal injury or property damage alleged to have been caused, in whole or in part, by a sign, or the installation or maintenance of a sign, installed and maintained pursuant to this section.

The California Coast Passenger Rail Corridor consists of the Counties of Los Angeles, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Ventura.

Funds which are available to the department for rail and bus operations may be used by the department for maintenance of capital facilities related to rail or bus services provided, or for minor capital improvement projects related to rail and bus services provided, if the department determines that this use of funds would improve the operation of a service. For the purposes of this section, a project shall be determined to be a "minor capital improvement project" on the same basis that a project is determined to be a "minor highway project" by the commission.

(a) The department may purchase, sell, and lease rail passenger cars and locomotives and other self-propelled rail vehicles.
  (b) The department may acquire, lease, design, construct, and improve track lines and related facilities, and the department may contract with the private sector for the design, improvement, or construction of track lines and related facilities. If a railroad corporation refuses to allow improvements to tracks and related facilities, the Public Utilities Commission shall, within 60 days after application by the department, order the institution of those improvements, if it finds that the improvements are necessary to the safety of the railroad corporation's employees, passengers, customers, and the public, and the operating efficiency of the service for which they are requested.
  (c) Any facility or equipment acquired or improved by any entity with funds made available to it pursuant to this section shall become the property of that entity at the time and under the conditions as are agreed upon by the department in the agreement that makes the funds available to the entity. Section 10295 of the Public Contract Code does not apply to any agreement entered into pursuant to this section.
  (d) The department shall deposit in the Passenger Equipment Acquisition Fund, for expenditure pursuant to Section 14066, the net proceeds from the sale of rail passenger cars and locomotives and other self-propelled rail vehicles.

Rail passenger equipment owned by the department and operated by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) in a state-supported rail service shall prominently display the department's logo and the words "California Department of Transportation," or other appropriate identification, as determined by the department.

(a) The department may acquire by purchase, lease, or eminent domain, any property necessary for the development and implementation of the state's rail passenger program. The power of eminent domain shall be exercised in accordance with Title 7 (commencing with Section 1230.010) of the Code of Civil Procedure.
  (b) It is the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this section, to give significance and importance to the state rail passenger program equal to that of the state highway program, and to that end, to provide the department with the appropriate powers.
  (c) To the extent that the activities authorized by subdivision (a) exceed the capacity of the department's existing work force, the department may contract with qualified individuals or firms for engineering, surveying, and related technical services in exercising its authority pursuant to subdivision (a).

The department may, if requested by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority, exercise the power of eminent domain to acquire, in the name and for the use of, the authority, real property in Los Angeles County that is owned by a railroad corporation and that is necessary, incidental, or convenient for the construction of the Alameda Corridor project.

(a) The department may, at the request of a transportation planning agency, county transportation commission, or metropolitan transit development board, and subject to approval of the commission, acquire abandoned or proposed to be abandoned rail freight lines which have the potential of being rebuilt into joint freight and passenger rail transit lines.
  (b) The department may, if requested by a transportation planning agency, county transportation commission, or metropolitan transit development board, develop plans and specifications for the conversion of abandoned or proposed to be abandoned rail lines into freight and passenger rail transit routes. The department may contract with the private sector to develop these plans and specifications.
  (c) The department may, if requested by a regional planning agency, county transportation commission, or metropolitan transit development board, investigate and prepare procedures, subject to Public Utilities Commission approval, to reinstate rail passenger services in the requesting entity's jurisdiction.

The department shall have no authority to operate railroads.

The department may provide by contract with a railroad corporation that any tracks or signaling devices constructed, improved, repaired, or acquired with funds made available by the state on property owned or leased by the railroad corporation shall become the property of the railroad corporation.

The Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority is encouraged to coordinate with local private industry councils in service delivery areas to develop training programs and employment opportunities under the federal Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. Sec. 1501 et seq.) directly related to the Alameda Corridor project and to pursue other appropriate employment and training funding sources.

State highway projects to be included in the program of proposed projects report submitted to the United States Secretary of Transportation pursuant to Section 105 of Title 23 of the United States Code shall be those included in the five-year program for the expenditure of state transportation funds as set forth in the state transportation improvement program after July 1, 1979.

(a) The department shall prepare an inventory of all state-owned bridges that are required to be strengthened or replaced in order to meet seismic safety standards which are in effect on January 1, 1991. For each bridge listed in the inventory, the department shall determine each of the following:
  (1) The earliest date when all necessary engineering work can be completed and construction can be started.
  (2) An estimate of the cost of retrofitting or replacing the bridge to conform to the applicable seismic safety standards.
  (b) (1) The department shall prepare a multiyear plan and schedule for completing the retrofitting or replacement of all of the bridges identified pursuant to subdivision (a). The schedule shall be based upon the department's estimates of the shortest possible time to perform the work.
  (2) The plan shall include the department's estimate of the annual cost and the total cost of carrying out the plan.
  (3) The department shall submit the plan and schedule, together with the cost estimates, to the Governor and the Legislature not later than January 1, 1991.
  (c) The Legislature intends to appropriate to the department the funds necessary to carry out subdivisions (a) and (b).