The agency wants to increase service and extend its infrastructure to move Caltrain from a commuter rail system to an integrated urban transit network.
Erin Baldassari reports on new expansion plans for Caltrain in the San Francisco Bay Area as the region anticipates significant population growth in the future and the need for a more extensive transit network. "Caltrain’s vision contemplates BART-like 'show-up and go' service, whisking passengers from San Francisco to Gilroy on trains that run at least every 15 minutes all day long."
Caltrain expects that increasing service frequently and capacity would boost ridership from 65,000 daily riders to 180,000. This would give commuters more travel options and decrease traffic congestion and pollution in the region, say advocates. The agency is also looking at a slew of capital projects, along with the addition of electric trains, which operate faster than diesel trains.
But, says Baldassari, the price tag for these upgrades is high, including $90 million a year in operating subsidies. Possible funding sources include a multicounty sales tax increase and a regional transportation funding measure.
"The region is only going to continue to grow, said Adina Levin, the co-founder of Friends of Caltrain, a transit advocacy organization. So why not aim high, she said, even if the vision isn’t ultimately achieved due to factors outside of Caltrain’s control, such as the fate of high-speed rail."
FULL STORY: Caltrain has an ambitious plan to run BART-like service. Here’s what it will mean for Bay Area traffic
Compromise Reached to Save Caltrain
The saga of the three-county sales tax upon which the future of Caltrain depends is now in the hands of voters.
Caltrain on the Rocks as Sales Tax Measure Fails
Advocates are concerned about the possibility of Caltrain entirely shutting down—less than a year after the commuter rail line seemed positioned for a massive expansion of service.
Plan to Save Caltrain Emerges
Elected officials in San Francisco and Santa Clara counties have produced a counter proposal after killing a proposed sales tax last week.
‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland
Portland is redesigning its bus system to respond to the changing patterns of the post-pandemic world—with twin goals of increasing ridership and improving equity.
Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny
The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.
Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?
New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?
700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah
A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.
More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus
Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.
Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says
Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
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