By John Todd | Rio Linda Online
Sept. 27, 2026
A long-planned passenger rail station near Rio Linda’s western edge is moving toward its first site work. A construction listing seeks bids by Oct. 22 for early demolition associated with the Natomas Station and Layover Facility. The listing does not establish when demolition will begin or when trains will start carrying passengers.
The station is planned for about 8.4 acres on the east side of Blacktop Road, just south of West Elkhorn Boulevard. It would serve expanded Altamont Corridor Express and intercity passenger rail service, with a planned shuttle connection to Sacramento International Airport. For Rio Linda and Elverta residents, the most immediate questions are how construction and eventual station traffic will affect West Elkhorn Boulevard.
How would drivers reach the station?
The current project description places station access on Blacktop Road. It calls for approximately 250 parking spaces, three bus bays and passenger access improvements. It does not provide a final traffic pattern or construction detour plan for West Elkhorn Boulevard. Those details will matter to residents who use the corridor to reach Natomas and Highway 99.
What is the layover facility?
This would be more than a place for passengers to board. Tracks south of the platform would hold trains between runs and allow crews to clean their interiors. A March 2026 rail authority report describes space for up to five trainsets on the layover tracks, plus one at the platform, with a separate employee access road west of the tracks. That is a change from the four-plus-one configuration described in Rio Linda Online’s coverage of the 2020 environmental review.
The prospect of trains parked near the West Elkhorn corridor also makes nighttime noise and lighting important questions. The current project description confirms the layover tracks but does not spell out the overnight idling limits or noise controls claimed in some descriptions of the project. Those operating details should be confirmed before residents are told what to expect after service begins.
What happens next?
Early demolition is out for bids, while the station remains part of a larger rail expansion that depends on other track and station improvements. A bid deadline is a step toward construction, not an opening date. Rio Linda Online will track the demolition schedule, road work plans and updated operating details as they become available.
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