Modesto, CA
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Stockton, CA (27.3 mi).
About Modesto
Modesto is the county seat of and the largest city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,069 according to 2022 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it is the 19th-most populous city in California.
Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.
Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)
| Item | Basis | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal construction | Mid-size city terminal ($1–2B range) | $1.5B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1.5× on $200M base | $300M |
| Track: Modesto → Stockton | 27.3 mi × $500M/mi | $13.7B |
| Annual operations (share) | 2% of $1.5B terminal | $30M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $15.5B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
The downtown Modesto Transit Center district. The downtown Transit Center is the ACE commuter rail hub for Stanislaus County, with bus connections radiating across the region. Downtown redevelopment parcels near the tracks offer buildable land in the city core. The catchment is the county's 550,000+ residents — many commuting to the Bay Area — plus the region's massive ag-processing industry.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- Ripon — almond town on the 99 corridor.
- Manteca — bedroom city on the CA-99/120 junction.
- Escalon — small ag town on the approach to Stockton.