Two major projects completing the ring of rail around San Francisco Bay advanced in recent weeks. The $12.75B project to bring BART from Berryessa to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara broke ground. The project is now estimated to start rail service in 2036. The groundbreaking took place before VTA received a commitment from the […]
Discussion about a regional transportation funding measure has resumed with a “Select Committee” created by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission with the goal of developing options and agreement for 2025 legislation to authorize a regional transportation funding measure. The 2024 effort toward authorizing legislation with SB1031 was halted by Senator Wiener at the end of May,
On Friday, VTA announced that the federal government would fund $5.1Billion toward the BART Silicon Valley project, about 41% of the cost of the project, currently estimated at $12.7 billion. This leaves a gap of $1.2Billion from the amount that VTA had been requesting, and a gap of $700million to complete the project, following the
Electrifying the Capitol Corridor would enable fast, frequent travel between the South Bay, East Bay and Sacramento. It would connect the economic and political capitals of Northern California– but powerful interests are pushing unproven hydrogen trains technology that could instead lock in poor train service for decades. The Capitol Corridor is the spine of Northern
For Pride Month, the Transbay Coalition was thrilled to partner with Queer Silicon Valley and Liveable Sunnyvale for a special happy hour celebrating the theme of inclusion & solidarity: \”Everyone on the bus, no one under it.\” Advocates from around the Bay came out to “Off The Rail Brewing” on the car-free outdoor plaza on
Last Friday May 24, SB1031, the Connect Bay Area Act, passed the Senate Floor and heads to the Assembly with more work to do and South Bay opposition. The next step will be Assembly policy committee hearings later in June. In order to pass the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 16, amendments were added to
Transportation is all about bringing people together and so for this “Star Wars Day,” the Transbay Coalition was delighted to host our “May the 4th Happy Hour! ‘Episode 1: A Hayward Awakens’” Folks from around the Bay Area came out to the World Famous Turf Club in downtown Hayward to chat all things transit. For
In board meetings on Wednesday and Thursday this past week, the SamTrans and Caltrain boards acknowledged progress in amendments and negotiations on SB1031, the authorizing legislation for a regional transportation funding measure. The boards retained their positions to oppose the legislation unless amended, with the rationale that this would provide the greatest amount of negotiating
On Wednesday May 1 and Thursday, May 2, the SamTrans, Caltrain, and VTA boards will review their positions on AB1831, the Connect Bay Area Act. This important bill would authorize a regional transportation funding measure that would keep transit running at Caltrain, BART, and other agencies facing post-pandemic budget challenges, and would support more frequent
A bill in the legislature this year, AB2503 (Lee), proposes to exempt rail electrification projects from the sort of delay that impacted Caltrain electrification. Back in 2015, the Town of Atherton sued the Caltrain electrification project – which is about to provide a major benefit to the environment by eliminating polluting emissions from diesel trains
Cars are California\’s largest source of carbon emissions and that is just the tip of the melting iceberg on the justice and environmental impacts cars have on communities throughout the Bay Area. Transit is a powerful, but under-used tool to clean our air and bring environmental justice to our streets. What’s more is transit’s potential
On, Friday April 12, the Metropolitan Transportation Legislation Committee approved a set of proposed amendments to SB1031. The amendments refine the funding formula to ensure funding for all counties including those that have fewer agencies facing post-pandemic fiscal challenges; clean up language about a consolidation study; and set guardrails on MTC’s authority to coordinate service.
In March 2024, the AC Transit Board of Directors scheduled a vote on a proposal to raise bus fares for riders by 20% over two years. Raising bus fares burdens low-income riders who have no other transportation option. Higher fares also push more people to choose to drive, increasing congestion and emissions. Recognizing these issues
In Spring 2024, Transbay Coalition led a successful campaign to get weekend evening bus service restored to the Broadway Corridor in downtown Oakland. Months ago AC Transit enacted a “temporary” weekend evening service detoured from Broadway between 14th and 20th. It inconvenienced riders, slowed Oakland’s downtown recovery, and made transit a less useful option for
Initial analysis from MTC’s Connected Network Plan reveals the service gaps that transit users experience on the southern transbay bridges between San Mateo and Alameda Counties. For the first time in history, the Bay Area is approaching its long-range transportation planning with an assessment of travel demand and the level of service needed to address
On January 24, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted to pursue authorizing legislation in 2024 for a regional transportation funding measure that could go on the ballot as soon as 2026, and could be used in future years. The proposal would authorize MTC to put a measure on the ballot with goals for transit transformation, safe
The City of El Cerrito Design Review Board and Planning Commission are having a joint study session on Wednesday, January 17, starting at 7pm at City Hall in El Cerrito. The meeting packet (linked here) contains all of the latest information regarding the plans for the transformational project at the El Cerrito Plaza BART station.
At the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in December, at the Legislation Committee on December 8 and the full Commission on December 20, Commissioners discussed proposed policies to increase voter confidence and improve agency accountability in the context of a regional transportation funding measure. MTC is looking to sponsor legislation in 2024 for a ballot measure in
Tonight at a meeting starting at 7pm, Redwood City City Council will be giving direction on grade separation options (Agenda 9B) The Council will be deciding among three alternatives. Alternatives 1A and 1B separate the Caltrain tracks from roads across the entire city. Both options elevate the tracks. Option 1A closes Maple to cars and
At last week’s BART board budget workshop addressing the agency’s financial challenges, a number of BART board members encouraged exploring consolidation with other agencies. Board Chair Janice Li suggested that BART explore expanding the BART district to incorporate San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties into the BART district. Li also encouraged exploring consolidations, especially focusing
