The long-planned extension of Caltrain into downtown San Francisco is moving forward with the state awarding $100 million toward the Caltrain extension and committing another $650 million over multiple years.
The state funding is part of nearly $1.3 billion in transportation awards announced by Governor Gavin Newsom on November 10, covering 19 projects through the California State Transportation Agency’s (CalSTA) Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, as Trains.com reports. The Portal, as the downtown extension is now called, will receive $100 million for pre-construction work, along with a $650 million multiyear funding agreement.
According to Tunnelling Journal, the additional funding is tied to securing federal support through the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants program. The Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) says the state investment will help leverage a $3.38 billion federal contribution proposed in 2024.
The federal government has reportedly not yet finalized that commitment, as the TJPA still needs a Full Funding Grant Agreement from the Federal Transit Administration to lock in the money.
The 2.2-mile extension will connect Caltrain's existing end point at Fourth and King streets to the Salesforce Transit Center, per Trains.com. The project includes a tunnel, a new station at Fourth and Townsend streets, and completion of the transit center's underground train box with six tracks and three center platforms. Caltrain would enter the tunnel near Fourth and King and arrive two levels beneath the street at the transit center.
The same infrastructure will eventually accommodate California high-speed rail trains, if and when that project gets completed.
The extension has been a long time coming. First proposed in 2014 while the Transbay Transit Center was still under construction, the Downtown Rail Extension was intended to complete the facility's transformation from a bus terminal into a regional rail hub, as SFist reported at the time. But years of funding uncertainty, construction cost overruns, and delays have repeatedly pushed back the project. In 2016, the estimated completion date was already being pushed to 2026 at the earliest.
By 2024, the project was then estimated to cost $6.7 billion, reportedly up from $5 billion in 2016. At the time, federal funding was expected to cover roughly half the cost, with the TJPA still working to identify additional state and local funding.
The latest project estimate has climbed to approximately $7.57 billion, although the authority's retained budget is $8.26 billion, as Tunnelling Journal reports. Its current schedule targets construction readiness in 2029 and passenger service in December 2036.
Other local agencies also received funding through CalSTA’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, as Trains.com reports.
BART was awarded $25 million toward transforming the west parking lot at Berkeley's Ashby Station into a mixed-use development with 618 homes, including 307 affordable units, alongside a new parking garage with electric vehicle charging. Planned station improvements include protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, a public plaza, and electrical upgrades to support more reliable BART service.
Marin Transit will receive nearly $25 million for an electric-bus facility and 11 battery-electric buses, while SMART will receive $2 million for pedestrian safety improvements in Sonoma County.
The state is also awarding $30 million to add a second mainline track through Newark and Fremont, helping increase capacity for Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) trains between Stockton and San Jose, and Santa Cruz Metro is receiving nearly $29 million for a new Watsonville maintenance facility and expanded bikeshare.
Caltrain will also receive $4 million toward a battery-electric train pilot between San Jose and Gilroy, and another $6 million will fund signal, track, and safety improvements.
Other awards include funding for Metrolink service in Southern California, COASTER in San Diego County, Capitol Corridor improvements, and electric buses and other transit upgrades in Sacramento, the Central Valley, and Los Angeles-area counties.
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