Silicon Valley BART extension
| Company type | Public transit project |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Headquarters | Santa Clara County , United States |
Area served | Santa Clara County, California |
Key people | Ron Gonzales (former San Jose Mayor, credited for Phase I progress) |
| Products | Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) service expansion |
| Owner | Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) |
| Website | www |
The Silicon Valley BART extension—officially titled VTA's BART Silicon Valley Extension Program and frequently referred to as BART Silicon Valley—is a current initiative to expand Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) service into Santa Clara County, California from its previous endpoint at the Fremont station located in Alameda County. This project, which has been in planning since at least 1981, involves the development of seven stations distributed over three distinct phases.
The initial phase, called the Warm Springs Extension, involved an investment of $790 million and introduced the Warm Springs/South Fremont station. Construction commenced in 2009, and service began operating in 2017.
The second phase, known as BART Silicon Valley Phase I or the Berryessa Extension, had a budget of $2.3 billion and added two stations: Milpitas and Berryessa/North San José. Construction started in 2012, with the extension opening for public use on June 13, 2020. This phase's progress is largely attributed to former San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales.
Phase three, referred to as BART Silicon Valley Phase II, carries an estimated cost of $12.2 billion and seeks to extend the line into downtown San Jose; however, it currently lacks full funding. Scheduled for completion by 2036, this phase will add three underground stations—28th Street/Little Portugal, Downtown San José, and Diridon—alongside a surface-level station at Santa Clara. Preliminary groundwork began in January 2019.
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) was responsible for constructing the Berryessa Extension and intends to build the final segment through downtown San Jose. BART manages operations and maintenance on completed portions and will continue these responsibilities once Phase II is finished.
Funding
Originally, Santa Clara County was expected to join the BART network; however, local authorities declined approval, including plans for limited service near Palo Alto. In 2000, county voters passed a half-cent sales tax lasting 30 years to finance BART, which took effect in April 2006. To compensate for federal funding gaps, a proposed additional 0.125% sales tax increase was conditioned upon securing further federal contributions. Nevertheless, in 2004, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued a "Not Recommended" evaluation due to doubts about VTA’s ability to operate both BART and bus services simultaneously. Despite this setback, VTA proceeded with design and environmental assessments.
In 2006, voters rejected a ballot measure proposing a half-cent sales tax increase for transportation and related services. Later that year, VTA allocated $135 million to continue engineering and environmental work on the extension while planning to seek voter approval for further tax increases in 2008.
Measure B was approved by Santa Clara County voters in November 2008—a 30-year one-eighth cent sales tax dedicated to covering operating and maintenance expenses for the BART Silicon Valley extension effective July 2012.
The economic recession of 2009 caused projected revenue to decline from $11 billion to $7 billion, which resulted in reducing the number of planned stations and postponing the Berryessa-to-downtown San Jose segment until 2026. In 2011, VTA awarded a $770 million contract for Phase I of the Berryessa Extension (covering Milpitas and Berryessa/North San Jose stations), followed by $900 million in federal grants in 2012; construction began that year with an initial opening date set for 2016.
For Phase II funding efforts, VTA applied for federal New Starts grants in 2016. That same year, voters approved a half-cent sales tax intended to raise between $6.0 billion and $6.5 billion—allocating up to $1.6 billion specifically for BART expansion. Additional funding strategies included pursuing $1.5 billion from New Starts and $750 million from California’s Cap and Trade program.
In 2018, VTA secured $2.6 billion through California’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, financed by the state’s 2017 gas tax legislation. By August 2019, VTA had received an accelerated funding award of $125 million from the FTA. Although a proposal included $140 million in the House version of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, this amount was removed during Senate deliberations.
Most recently in August 2024, the FTA committed $5 billion toward Phase II financing. Following resolution of outstanding funding gaps, VTA intends to pursue a Full Funding Grant Agreement to advance the project further.
Phases
The project is segmented into three distinct stages.
| Phase | Title | Distance | Stations | Groundbreaking | Launch | Budget ($ billions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warm Springs (WSX) | 5.4 mi (8.7 km) | Template:Bart[lower-alpha 1] |
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| 2 | Berryessa (SVX Phase 1) | 10 mi (16 km) | Template:Bart[lower-alpha 1] |
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| 3 | Downtown San Jose/ Santa Clara (SVX Phase 2) | 6 mi (9.7 km) | Template:Stn | Jun 14, 2024[lower-alpha 2] | 2036 (planned) | 12.2 | ||
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- Notes
Warm Springs extension
The extension spanning 5.4 miles from Fremont station to Warm Springs/South Fremont commenced revenue operations in March 2017. Originally budgeted at $890 million, the cost was lowered to $790 million after reducing expenses for the subway portion beneath Lake Elizabeth from $249 million down to $136 million.
Although groundbreaking took place in 2009 and actual construction started in 2011, the initial completion target was set for 2014. Delays, partly caused by software complications impacting the schedule, postponed the opening until spring 2017.
The Warm Springs/South Fremont station functions as the northern endpoint of the Berryessa Extension, which continues further south.
Berryessa extension
The Berryessa extension reaches into northern San Jose and features the Milpitas station and Berryessa station. A planned infill stop at Calaveras Boulevard in downtown Milpitas remains on hold, awaiting municipal funding approval. Milpitas Station offers a pedestrian bridge connection to VTA light rail’s Milpitas light rail stop located near the Great Mall of the Bay Area.
Originally envisioned as one comprehensive project stretching from Fremont to Santa Clara, constraints in federal funding and local sales tax revenue necessitated splitting the Silicon Valley Extension into two phases. Phase 1 covers the route up to Berryessa, while Phase 2 is slated to extend through downtown San Jose to Santa Clara. The scope of Phase 1 was limited by VTA’s financial resources. In 2011, an environmental lawsuit filed by a nearby industrial park opposing the project was unsuccessful.
Multiple postponements delayed completion well past the initially planned 2016 date. Ultimately, Milpitas and Berryessa stations opened on June 13, 2020, significantly expanding BART service into Santa Clara County.
Downtown San Jose/Santa Clara extension
The concluding segment of the Downtown San Jose to Santa Clara route is projected to cost approximately $6.8 billion. This third phase, spanning , is predominantly subterranean and includes a tunnel. Extending southward from Berryessa, the line enters a tunnel beneath the Bayshore Freeway and reaches the 28th Street/Little Portugal station on the eastern side of San Jose. The tunnel then continues westward under Santa Clara Street to arrive at a Downtown San Jose subway station, which will serve as a transfer point with VTA light rail lines at Santa Clara. Initially, plans called for separate subway stops at Civic Plaza/SJSU and Plaza de César Chávez, but these were merged into a single station to lower expenses. The underground route proceeds to the San Jose Diridon station, providing connections to Amtrak, Caltrain, Altamont Corridor Express, VTA light rail, bus systems, and the future California High-Speed Rail. The BART subway station at this location will be designated "Diridon." Afterward, the extension emerges above ground near the existing Santa Clara Caltrain Station. A dedicated BART maintenance facility is planned at Newhall on property acquired by VTA from Union Pacific. Similar to the Berryessa Extension, VTA will handle construction while BART will oversee operations.
Following the 2012 funding secured for Berryessa, VTA pursued additional financing for this $6.8 billion phase. By late 2017, disagreements arose between VTA and BART regarding tunnel design: VTA advocated for a single -wide bore featuring stacked tracks to accelerate construction and avoid disruptive cut-and-cover excavation along Santa Clara Street; meanwhile, city officials opposed cut-and-cover methods due to potential impacts on local businesses. Conversely, BART preferred two separate -wide bores to reduce costs and maintain uniform emergency protocols. Throughout 2018, local municipalities and business groups supported the single bore option. After delays, in March 2018 both agencies reached consensus on adopting the single bore approach. Subsequently, a $125 million engineering contract was awarded to a joint venture comprising London-based Mott MacDonald and San Francisco-based PGH Wong Engineering.
Preliminary work including soil testing commenced in January 2019. However, by September 2019, project timelines were extended by three to four years, shifting expected revenue service to 2029–2030. On October 15, 2021, VTA announced plans to award station construction contracts by summer 2022. In May 2022, the Kiewit Shea Traylor Joint Venture (consisting of Kiewit Corporation, J.F. Shea Co., and Traylor Brothers) secured the initial major contract to excavate the 4-mile tunnel from Berryessa to Diridon and construct the 1-mile surface track segment from Diridon to Santa Clara. In October 2023, further delays pushed completion estimates back to 2036. By June 2025, agency staff proposed terminating the contract with Kiewit Shea Traylor over unresolved cost disputes, which could result in an additional delay of approximately 18 months.
See also
External links
- VTA BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Project
- VTA's BART Silicon Valley Extension Program
- San Jose Mercury News: BART news section
- MTC.gov report on extension
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