BayRail Alliance

BayRail Alliance is a non-profit, 501(c)4 organization founded in 1983. For more than 20 years, we have advocated for improvements to rail public transit in the San Francisco Bay Area that will efficiently produce a quantum leap in their quality and convenience. Our mission is to build public awareness of and support for these plans, so as to improve our environment and quality of life.

We're interested in rail's current and future potential to help the Bay Area reduce its dependence on automobiles, stop climate change and improve air quality, and for many other benefits.

»Why we need public transit and what's needed to make it work

»More about our history

 

• We're a member-supported group
• Attend our monthly meetings
• Join our announcement-only e-mail alert list.
• We mail newsletters to our members.

If you have a question or complaint about public transit, please see our Transit Info and Frequently Asked Questions pages before contacting us. 

 

BayRail Alliance has been mentioned or quoted in many newspapers in northern California. View press articles

Members of the media can contact us via e-mail or webform, or call Margaret Okuzumi, executive director at 408-732-8712 or cell phone 650-269-4109. 

 

2005-2008 Goals

1. Support progress on elements of our regional rail plan, including:
   • establishment of new rail lines
   • Electrification and improvements to Caltrain and other regional rail transit
2. Educate the public about the California High Speed Rail bond on the November 2008 ballot
   
3. Support people-friendly urban design and development near rail stations.
   

 

Learn more about what we support and why.

Accomplishments include

• Keeping the Transbay Terminal/Caltrain Downtown Extension project in San Francisco alive and moving forward at several critical junctures.
• Holding the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) to its 1996 Measure B promise to increase Caltrain service. Our efforts resulted in VTA agreeing to double midday Caltrain service in 2000 (from hourly to half-hourly on weekdays), and to add additional evening service.
• In 1999, we got the Caltrain board to approve making electrification a top priority and to agree to operate planned Dumbarton Rail service.
• We got Caltrain to implement its bikes on Caltrain program beginning with a pilot project in 1992.
• We helped saved Caltrain when Southern Pacific Railroad wanted to shut it down in the 1980's.