Voters Approve $980M Regional Transit Tax as Caltrain Wins $105.5M

Bay Area public transportation agencies secured more than a decade of operating stability and major rail corridor upgrades this week, combining voter approval of a five-county sales tax measure with over $105.5 million in federal railroad crossing elimination grants.

Five-County Regional Transit Measure Passes with 61% Support

Bay Area voters approved the Regional Transit Measure (RTM) with roughly 61% support, clearing the citizen-initiated ballot threshold to establish a dedicated 14-year regional funding stream beginning April 1.

The measure levies a half-cent sales tax across 4 counties—Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara—alongside a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco. Together, the surcharge is projected to generate approximately $980 million annually for 27 public transit agencies across the region, averting post-pandemic fiscal cliffs that BART officials warned could have forced the closure of up to 10 BART stations and deep reductions in weekend and evening train frequencies.

Under the measure's expenditure plan, collections are divided between regional transit operations and county-level mobility programs:

• 63% Direct Transit Operations: Distributed across BART, Muni, AC Transit, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit, San Francisco Bay Ferry, WestCAT, County Connection, Tri Delta Transit, and 18 other bus, rail, and ferry operators to preserve routes and coordinate regional transfers.
• 37% County Transportation Authorities: Returned directly to county agencies—including the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) and the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC)—to fund local bus connectors, paratransit, and corridor improvements.

Caltrain Secures $105.5 Million in Federal Grade Separation Grants

Alongside the regional operating measure, Caltrain announced $105.5 million in Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Railroad Crossing Elimination grants to separate busy Peninsula and South Bay roadways from its electrified rail corridor:

• $90 Million for Burlingame's Broadway Grade Separation: The FRA awarded $90 million toward construction of the Broadway Grade Separation project in Burlingame, where more than 30,000 vehicles cross the Caltrain tracks daily. Building on $3 million in earlier federal planning funds, the project will elevate the rail tracks over Broadway, reconstruct the Broadway station with modern platforms, and eliminate gate-down traffic delays. Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2027 and reach completion in Jan. 2032.
• $15.5 Million for Sunnyvale's Mary Avenue Grade Separation: A second FRA award provides $15.5 million—backed by a 21% local funding match from the City of Sunnyvale and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority—to complete final engineering and design for the Mary Avenue Grade Separation in Sunnyvale.