Caltrain has announced that the opening of its South San Francisco Station has been delayed until November. The delay resulted from unforeseen conditions under Caltrain’s tracks, low productivity by the contractor and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The significant risks are now behind us and the contractor productivity level has increased resulting in a projected station opening milestone in approximately five months.
This total cost of the project has increased from $71.6 million to $96.6 million. $23 million of this funding gap will be provided by the San Mateo County Transportation Authority (TA), while the remaining $2 million will come from the City of South San Francisco.
The new station will function more efficiently and will be safer and convenient for the riders. The new station design will also increase system capacity. The station will have a 700-foot center boarding platform with station amenities, and direct underground tunnel access to the station from the east and west side of the city which is currently physically divided by the freeway and the rail tracks. There will be a new multi-modal pick-up/drop-off area and a downtown plaza anchoring each end of the tunnel and providing welcoming entrances to the station. The new station will be fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Caltrain riders will continue to use the temporary South San Francisco station until station opening.
Source: CalTrain
About Caltrain: Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with limited commute service to Gilroy. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad has provided the community with more than 150 years of continuous passenger service. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the corridor, reduce diesel emissions by 97 percent by 2040 and add more service to more stations.
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Rod Washington Writer, filmmaker, model railroader, dreamer, posting videos and articles about trains. Also, posting railfanning videos and updates about his own model railroad layout via his webpage, the rail project (coming soon).
