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Moderator: lensovet

 #1182729  by Thomas
 
Deos anyone know the status of Caltrain's Extension into the Transbay Terminal? I believe that this--combined with the system electrification upgrade--could have a major implication regarding Caltrain for the next 100 years or so. To some extent, it could be California's version of East Side Access...
 #1182802  by Fan Railer
 
it's going as planned. If you want information, the best place is to dig around Caltrain's web page for documentation.
 #1183335  by ExCon90
 
The Transbay Joint Powers Authority has a website at http://www.transbaycenter.org; you can click on there to be placed on an email list to receive weekly progress reports on the terminal. Right now it's all about excavating, bracing, etc., but when things reach the stage of advancing Caltrain into the terminal it should give up-to-the-week information.
 #1187472  by Thomas
 
How could the TIFIA program impact tunnel boring for Caltrain's Extension in San Francisco?
 #1192457  by Thomas
 
With California's recent budget surplus, is it likely for the this pot of money to get used for Caltrain improvements, such as the Extension into the Transbay Terminal?
 #1243740  by tomj
 
It wouldn't be smart for the state to use surplus money for the improvement. California's finances are shaky at best, shouldn't waste surplus money on it, but I will bet the money will get spent on something stupid if it hasn't been already.
 #1632306  by Jeff Smith
 
New website: https://www.tjpa.org/

Cost Swells: SFStandard.com
Cost of San Francisco Downtown Rail Extension Swells to $8.2B

A planned Downtown San Francisco rail extension called The Portal is about to get much more expensive, according to an estimate presented at a regional transit meeting Wednesday.

The proposed rail tunnel is intended to connect Caltrain—and future high-speed trains—at the Fourth and King streets station to the massive new Salesforce Transit Center. Project costs have ballooned from $6.5 billion to a staggering $8.25 billion since October 2022, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

The cost increase is attributed to a mix of factors, including inflation, expanding project timelines and a risk assessment from the Federal Transit Administration that determined that the prior cost estimate was unrealistic, according to John Goodwin, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
...
The authority is eyeing 2025 to begin heavy civil engineering and tunnel work for The Portal, she said.
...
In 2022, the rail extension was rebranded as The Portal to “generate excitement” about the project, according to the Transbay Joint Powers Authority.
...
 #1632401  by lensovet
 
tomj wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:32 pm It wouldn't be smart for the state to use surplus money for the improvement. California's finances are shaky at best, shouldn't waste surplus money on it, but I will bet the money will get spent on something stupid if it hasn't been already.
Pretty hilarious to read this a decade later.
 #1632524  by electricron
 
Jeff Smith wrote: Tue Oct 31, 2023 4:24 am New website: https://www.tjpa.org/

Cost Swells: SFStandard.com
Cost of San Francisco Downtown Rail Extension Swells to $8.2B

A planned Downtown San Francisco rail extension called The Portal is about to get much more expensive, according to an estimate presented at a regional transit meeting Wednesday.

The proposed rail tunnel is intended to connect Caltrain—and future high-speed trains—at the Fourth and King streets station to the massive new Salesforce Transit Center. Project costs have ballooned from $6.5 billion to a staggering $8.25 billion since October 2022, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

The cost increase is attributed to a mix of factors, including inflation, expanding project timelines and a risk assessment from the Federal Transit Administration that determined that the prior cost estimate was unrealistic, according to John Goodwin, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
...
The authority is eyeing 2025 to begin heavy civil engineering and tunnel work for The Portal, she said.
...
In 2022, the rail extension was rebranded as The Portal to “generate excitement” about the project, according to the Transbay Joint Powers Authority.
...
Some math follows: 8.25 / 6.0 x 100 = 137.5%
Yet, advocates are not surprised how quickly budgets get blown.
For some unknown reasons, Californians never expect capital projects to be built on time and on budget.