The Stockton Diamond is a

railway junction A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge. This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes (assuming they are of the same gauge), provided by ''points'' ( ...

just south of downtown Stockton, California, near the intersection of Aurora Street South and East Scotts Avenue. It is the point where the north–south running

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

Fresno Subdivision The Fresno Subdivision is a railroad in California owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. Mostly built by the Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1870s, the line traverses the San Joaquin Valley on a northwest to southeast alignment. Rou ...

line crosses the east–west

BNSF BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes tha ...

Stockton Subdivision The Stockton Subdivision is a railroad line in the U.S. state of California owned by the BNSF Railway. It runs from the Port of Richmond, where trains interchange with the Richmond Pacific Railroad, to Fresno where the railway continues south as ...

, both

double-track railway A double-track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single-track railway where trains in both directions share the same track. Overview In the earliest days of railways in the United Kingdom, most lin ...

s. Freight trains operate through the intersection 24 hours a day;

Altamont Corridor Express The Altamont Corridor Express (also known as ACE, formerly Altamont Commuter Express) is a commuter rail service in California, connecting Stockton and San Jose during peak hours only. ACE is named for the Altamont Pass, through which it runs ...

and

Amtrak California Amtrak California is a brand name used by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Rail for three state-supported Amtrak commuter rail routes in Californiathe ''Capitol Corridor'', the ''Pacific Surfliner'', and the ...

San Joaquins The ''San Joaquins'' is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak in California's San Joaquin Valley. Six daily round trips run between its southern terminus at Bakersfield and Stockton, with onward service to Sacramento (all round trips) an ...

'' passenger trains also utilize the junction. Two of the sides of the "diamond" are complete and allow interchanges between the north-east and south-west legs.

Grade separation

By 2020 the junction was the most congested in California, with the level-crossing design contributing to delays throughout the state's rail network. As part of the Valley Rail project, the

San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission The Altamont Corridor Express (also known as ACE, formerly Altamont Commuter Express) is a commuter rail service in California, connecting Stockton and San Jose during peak hours only. ACE is named for the Altamont Pass, through which it ru ...

(SJRRC) and the

California Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the cabinet-level California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). Caltrans is headquartered in Sacram ...

(Caltrans) sought to grade separate the intersection to allow for future passenger rail expansion and reduce crossing interference. The Union Pacific line will be elevated above the BNSF line, with construction scheduled to start in 2023 and planned completion of May 2026. The north–south flyover tracks will be constructed approximately to the east of the existing UP Fresno Subdivision, from the UP Stockton Yard to the at-grade crossing at Weber Avenue. Tracks will begin to rise at Lafayette Street and return to grade after Charter Way; a large retaining wall will be constructed between Charter and Church. Road traffic on Charter, Hazelton, and Scotts will be grade-separated under new rail bridges, while the existing at-grade crossings at Church and Lafayette would be closed. When complete, the project also will finish all four sides of the diamond.

References

Transportation buildings and structures in San Joaquin County, California Buildings and structures under construction in the United States Rail junctions in the United States BNSF Railway Union Pacific Railroad 2026 in rail transport Stockton, California {{US-rail-transport-stub

Grade separation

See also

References