- By James Salazar | Examiner staff writer
- Oct 29, 2024 Updated Oct 30, 2024 (SFExaminer.com)
Local transportation officials’ quest to bring high-speed rail and Caltrain commuter service into downtown San Francisco’s Salesforce Transit Center has gotten another financial boost from the federal government.
The Transbay Joint Powers Authority received a $24.6 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation, which will allow local transportation officials to complete the final design of the Downtown Rail Extension.
The project, known as The Portal, is estimated to cost $8.25 billion and will extend Caltrain service downtown by constructing a new underground station at Fourth and Townsend streets. It will also bring rail service to an underground train platform that was built when the Salesforce Transit Center was first constructed in 2010.
Transit operators from the Bay Area and Southern California would also one day connect to the downtown San Francisco stop, allowing riders to make transfers to other destinations.
Officials say about 30% of the design is complete. The Transbay Joint Powers Authority estimates the project will be finished in time for transit operators to charge fares in 2032.
Funding came from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program, for which 2021 federal infrastructure legislation earmarked money. The program funds projects that improve safety, efficiency and reliability for intercity passenger and freight rail systems. In their approval, DOT officials lauded San Francisco’s rail extension for “reducing trip time and increasing connectivity to other modes.”
In connecting high-speed rail and Caltrain’s recently debuted electrified commuter service to the Salesforce Transit Center, transit officials said they hope to turn the stop into the West Coast’s largest hub serving multiple forms of transit. The center, which was built under the first phase of the TJPA’s Transbay Program, currently acts as a bus stop serving eight operators. It also includes retail businesses and a 5.4-acre rooftop park.
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House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said in a release that “safe, affordable and accessible public transit is key to San Francisco’s economic recovery and to saving the planet from the climate crisis.”
Completion of The Portal’s final design, she said, would be essential for officials’ goal of making “it easier for commuters to get to work, for shoppers to support our local businesses and for communities to stay connected, while reducing our City’s carbon footprint.”
Michelle Bouchard, executive director of Caltrain, told The Examiner in a statement that the extension would “help even more people take advantage of Caltrain’s new world class system, while also “stimulating economic growth and protecting our environment.”
She said continued support from the Biden administration for this “vital project” was crucial in “laying the groundwork for California’s future.” Adam Van de Water, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority’s executive director, said Pelosi’s “critical role” in funding the project couldn’t be understated.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Muni and SF Paratransit services currently operate at Salesforce Transit Center, as do AC Transit, WestCAT’S Lynx line, Greyhound, SamTrans, Capitol Corridor and Golden Gate Transit. Those agencies, as well as Caltrain, BART and the California High-Speed Rail, will ultimately service The Portal once construction is completed.
Transbay Joint Powers Authority officials said the funding will allow the agency to develop track and rail systems catering to high-speed and commuter rail services, while also ensuring the systems are reviewed for constructability. In August, the authority chose the infrastructure-consulting firm AECOM to provide program management and construction management services. The firm will be responsible for matters such as obtaining Federal Transportation Administration funding, designing and building tunnel stations, and integrating The Portal with existing rail operations.
The 1.3-mile rail extension, which will be built primarily through tunnel boring underneath Townsend and Second streets, is expected to serve an average of 90,000 daily riders when fully operational.
