California to Receive $490 Million Rail Extension

Construction is set to get underway on a $490 million rail extension project in California.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) awarded Bechtel Infrastructure Corporation a contract for the extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), known as the Silicon Valley Phase II extension.

Organizers say the new rail line will be the largest single public infrastructure project ever undertaken in Santa Clara County. By 2040, it is projected to carry nearly 55,000 passengers each weekday.

This second phase of the BART project will include a six-mile extension featuring four new stations and five-and-a-half-miles of tunnels, connecting riders in the San Jose area to the rest of the system.

"This latest rail extension will provide a fast and convenient transit alternative for major commute corridors," Bechtel Infrastructure Corporation Senior Vice President Kelvin Sims said. "We're proud to be partnering with VTA again to help deliver this significant project for the area."

"We are pleased to have Bechtel, one of the original designers and builders of the first phase of the project, on board to construct the final extension for BART riders visiting, living, or working in San Jose," said Tom Maguire, Chief Megaprojects Officer at VTA. "One-third of upcoming growth in the San Francisco Bay Area is expected to occur in and around San Jose and this extension further into the Silicon Valley will support that growth and continue to connect the region."

Bechtel was also partly responsible for the design and construction of the original BART system, which has become central to the Bay Area's public transportation network. Additionally, Bechtel managed the engineering and construction of Phase I of the Silicon Valley Line, which began serving passengers in 2020.

Construction on the second phase is set to begin in earnest later this year.

Elsewhere in California, the first station designs for the long-planned California High-Speed Rail system were unveiled last month.

The designs were for the Merced, Fresno, Bakersfield and Kings Tulare stations.

"We are developing an architectural language for the four Central Valley stations, including soaring canopies that draw in fresh air and shield waiting passengers from harsh sunlight. The station design reflects the sustainable ethos of the wider project," Stefan Behling, head of studio at designers Foster + Partners, said at the time.

The first lines for the high-speed rail project are currently scheduled to become operable between 2030 and 2033.

Separately, full funding was secured for the $16 billion Hudson Tunnel Project, a rail project connecting New York and New Jersey via an underwater tunnel, on Monday, after the Gateway Development Commission signed a Full Funding Grant Agreement with the Federal Transit Administration.

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