The Caltrain Downtown Extension is part of the San Francisco Transbay Terminal Project.
The plan is to extend Caltrain 1.3 miles through an underground tunnel in San Francisco, to a rebuilt Transbay Terminal near 1st and Mission Streets in the heart of the financial district. The Terminal would connect Caltrain, AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit, and SF Muni, with Caltrain in the basement.
While the downtown extension benefits Caltrain and future California high-speed rail, they are not the lead agencies for the project. Responsibility for managing, planning, and building the Caltrain downtown extension belongs to the Transbay Joint Powers Authority.
Getting the downtown extension built was one of our organization’s primary goals in the early 1980’s. This project has survived near-death on several occasions, pulling through because of the hard work and personal sacrifices of advocates to keep it alive against severe obstacles. We owe a previous and current generation of activists a debt of gratitude for the progress that this project is made.
Current status
The Transbay Transit Center (bus terminal and train box) is under construction. The tunnel from 4th & King to Transbay has received environmental clearance but has yet to be funded. The City of San Francisco has proposed to apply for federal “New Starts” fund for the Caltrain/HSR extension after the Central Subway project, which the city has earlier applied “New Starts” for.
Please see our Transbay Terminal page for more information.
San Francisco is considering ideas to potentially realign the Caltrain tracks in the Mission Bay area to make room for development on the 4th & King site. A plan to realign the tracks could significantly delay the project with additional environmental studies as well as increased project costs. BayRail Alliance urges San Francisco to keep its commitment toward DTX as currently planned.
FAQ
- What problems are encountered when a passenger rail train uses tracks owned by freight rail companies?
- Why is the City of Fremont not supporting Dumbarton Rail?
- Can they fit a bike/ped trail, busway, and train tracks on the Dumbarton Rail right of way on the Peninsula?
- If the diesel fuel cost is so high, shouldn’t Caltrain be running shorter trains during off-peak hours to save fuel?
- Why is Caltrain require Clipper users to tag off after exiting the train?
- Can the train horn volume be lowered?
- Why Can’t BART run all night?
- Why does BART use wider, non-standard guage rails?
- Why didn’t we get BART through San Mateo County in the 1960’s when it was cheaper.
- Why is Caltrain electrification so important?
Green Caltrain updates on DTX
- MTC starting work to plan regional transit funding measure
- Candidate Forums – San Mateo County Supervisor
- San Francisco Downtown Rail Extension federal funding request advances
- Downtown Extension project needs regional vision and regional leadership, says new report
- Top capital projects for increasing Caltrain ridership
- Urge Caltrain and other transit boards to study integrated fares
- Caltrain forecasts 25% ridership boost from Downtown Extension
- Peskin suggests Caltrain might take over Downtown Extension? Governance study continues while project stays stalled
Streetsblog articles on DTX
- Streetsblog Q & A: SF Transit Riders’ Vinita Goyal
- Op-Ed: For Downtown Rail Extension To Make Sense, 280 Has To Go
- Q&A: How California Can ‘Build Back Better’
- San Francisco CTA Approves Pennsylvania Alignment for Caltrain Extension
- Today’s Headlines
- Advocates, Angered by Townsend Project Cancellation, Dominate SFMTA Board Meeting
- SFMTA Cancels Townsend Safety Project; Advocates Fight Back
- City Staff Aligns Behind a Pennsylvania Ave. Tunnel for Downtown Connector