SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA: Transit/Transportation News

[Nouvellecosse]

In addition to some of the other ideas, it's also important to remember that art and design aren't really created by "societies" but rather by individuals and groups who happen to exist within societies. And such individuals and groups tends to be among the least conservative even when the rest of society is more so. But when creative and artistic people are surrounded by more conservative pressures it may very well spur a backlash since you will often see backlash movements pop up as a counterpoint to whatever trends happen to be prevalent. That's when people feel the greatest need to dissent.

With Tesla, I'm not sure that's really a matter of creativity so much as it is marketing. When you have a new technology (or new to the market at least) you need a way to get people's attention and overcome their behavioural inertia. You have "futuristic" designs on many such car technologies such as the GM EV1, the original Honda Insight, the original Chevy Volt, many of Toyota's Priuses, etc. Yet i would argue that neither GM nor Toyota are terribly artistic or creative overall. With Tesla, it just so happens that the entire company needs to cultivate that persona as part of its branding rather than just using it for certain models.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by JManc

^ That looks like SOMA just before Oracle.

Yep, it's the current northern terminus of the Caltrain line at 4th & King, just one block over from Oracle Park like you mentioned.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/nrpRKW7JDi5eDx8z6

In the future, this will be extended to the Salesforce (Transbay) Transit Center via a 1.3 mile underground tunnel (Downtown Rail Extension), and that will serve as the new terminus for Caltrain as well as CAHSR. Part of this station will be converted to underground as well, located on the other side of the block at 4th & Townsend.



https://sfyimby.com/2023/10/ceqa-app...extension.html

[JManc]

Originally Posted by homebucket

Yep, it's the current northern terminus of the Caltrain line at 4th & King, just one block over from Oracle Park like you mentioned.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/nrpRKW7JDi5eDx8z6

In the future, this will be extended to the Salesforce (Transbay) Transit Center via a 1.3 mile underground tunnel (Downtown Rail Extension), and that will serve as the new terminus for Caltrain as well as CAHSR. Part of this station will be converted to underground as well.

How will that work? TB is a hard left to the NW from the current terminus. Same track?

[edale]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

In addition to some of the other ideas, it's also important to remember that art and design aren't really created by "societies" but rather by individuals and groups who happen to exist within societies. And such individuals and groups tends to be among the least conservative even when the rest of society is more so. But when creative and artistic people are surrounded by more conservative pressures it may very well spur a backlash since you will often see backlash movements pop up as a counterpoint to whatever trends happen to be prevalent. That's when people feel the greatest need to dissent.

Yes, the architects and designers are individuals, but they have to have clients in order for their projects to be built. While there are obviously projects for private developments/individuals, many of the clients for the most notable futurist developments are governments and public institutions, which I think can be used as a proxy for 'society'.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by edale

Yes, the architects and designers are individuals, but they have to have clients in order for their projects to be built. While there are obviously projects for private developments/individuals, many of the clients for the most notable futurist developments are governments and public institutions, which I think can be used as a proxy for 'society'.

Well sure, that last remark was just meant as an aside while the full explanation was my much longer post from a few days ago. That said, there has long been a disconnect between the average person and the creative people making designs. We often hear the public complaining about modern architectural styles including Moderism and Brutalism with them not being terribly popular in many circles. But that's still what's being built. What causes the disconnect can be hard to pin down, but I don't find that corporations and institutions like governments are a reliable proxy for general public sentiment.

[veep]

Originally Posted by JManc

How will that work? TB is a hard left to the NW from the current terminus. Same track?

• Video Link

[veep]

Feds pledge $3.4B to bring Caltrain, high-speed rail to Salesforce center

The decadeslong quest to connect Caltrain and high-speed rail to the multimodal Salesforce Transit Center in downtown San Francisco has taken a giant leap forward with a federal pledge of $3.38 billion to the effort, according to the agency managing the project.

The new cash commitment from the Federal Transit Administration, which requires local matching funds, represents 41% of the current estimated cost of The Portal project.

The massive undertaking would extend the Caltrain commuter rail line by 1.8 miles, dig 1.3 miles of underground tunnel, and construct two underground stations to bring Caltrain service from Fourth and King Streets to a six-level underground endpoint. Agency officials anticipate the rail extension will be in service around 2032 or 2033.

With other local and state funding sources already committed, the project now has over two-thirds of the estimated cost covered, said Adam Van de Water, executive director of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority, in a presentation to his agency’s board of directors this week.

Next, the agency must figure out how to close the remaining $2.75 billion funding gap. Staff are working with an alphabet soup of governmental entities at the local, regional, state and federal levels to find the needed money.

The agency hopes to get $1 billion from the state, but where that will come from remains to be seen. The state’s greenhouse-gas emissions cap-and-trade program does not currently have the capacity for such a significant investment, said Shima Mirzaei, TJPA’s chief financial officer.

Agency officials hope to benefit from legislation recently introduced by two state senators, Scott Wiener and Aisha Wahab, that would authorize the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission to propose a November 2026 Bay Area ballot measure that would — among other things — provide transportation funding, particularly to help services that have seen lower use since the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/tran...fe4357d4c.html

[homebucket]

Federal Budget Allocates a Half Billion Dollars to VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Extension Project



05/09/2024

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced today that $500 million is officially in the federal budget to be used toward a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) for the BART Silicon Valley Extension project. The funding allocation demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to this nationally important infrastructure project.

“It is a sign of incredible confidence that the FTA and the President of the United States are interested in this project,” said VTA Board Chair and Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez. “This $500 million dollar (investment) inches us closer to getting this project completed.” Chavez said.

This significant federal funding allocation is the first funding commitment for the project through the FTA’s New Starts Funding Program. VTA will submit its formal request for approximately $6 billion, roughly 50% of the project cost, through the FTA funding program later this summer with the expectation of completing the full funding agreement with the FTA before the end of the year. The FFGA will outline the terms, timeline and annual allocations VTA will receive. The other half of the project cost is already committed with local and state funds.

https://www.vta.org/blog/federal-bud...ension-project

[Busy Bee]

Good news all around. Thanks competent Democratic government.

[homebucket]

Meeting Tomorrow For Diridon Station Redevelopment, San Jose



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON MAY 14, 2024

New project details have been revealed ahead of tomorrow’s meeting about expanding the Diridon Station in San Jose. The Valley Transit Authority’s Diridon Joint Policy Advisory Board will review three design options to accommodate increased Caltrain services, integrate High-Speed Rail, and connect to the future BART extension. As expected for an infrastructure project in the Bay Area, the costs are astronomical, ranging from $2.5 billion to $13 billion.

The station expansion is expected to facilitate future service increases, including triple the hourly Caltrain trips, double the Capitol Corridor trips and four High-Speed Rail trips per hour. The three alternatives include elevated train tracks, at-grade train tracks, or stacked train tracks. Mott MacDonald, a global engineering firm, is responsible for drafting the alternatives.

At-Grade
The cheapest option will keep the tracks at grade while coincidentally making the most significant changes to the area around the Diridion Station. While kept at its existing elevation, the historic brick train station will be set above a new cobblestone-clad ground level. The station will remain the landmark entrance leading into the concourse.

Stacked
The Stacked option is the second most expensive option, but it would still create a new ground-level floor to the historic station building. This second alternative would not impact the PG&E facility and historic building on the south edge of Diridon Station.

Elevated
The most expensive option, which the VTA expects to cost at least $13 billion at the moment, will elevate train tracks and retain the historic structure’s positioning. The elevated and at-grade alternatives will require modifications for the PG&E facility, while the elevated plans require the Caltrain Central Equipment Maintenance and Operations Facility, or CEMOF to be relocated.

https://sfyimby.com/2024/05/meeting-...-san-jose.html

[homebucket]

And the renderings:

Looking west from SAP

At-Grade


Stacked


Elevated


Looking south from Cahill Plaza

At-Grade


Stacked


Elevated


Looking south from platform

At-Grade


Stacked


Elevated


Diridon Station

At-Grade


Stacked


Elevated


Looking east along Santa Clara Street

At-Grade


Stacked


Elevated


https://sfyimby.com/2024/05/meeting-...-san-jose.html

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by Bikemike

San Jose needs to up its urbanism game and start now to aggressively build-out first/last mile infrastructure to Diridon and other stations in ancitipation of BART, HSR, and vastly improved Caltrain service

Its 2040 general plan was a great start - one of the few Californian cities that "get it". SJ is a suburban hellhole, but its leadership is more progressive in many ways than more urban and famously "liberal" cities Oakland and Berkeley, which are overly car-oriented in thinking, and who only deserve credit for inheriting a pre-war built environment.

While SJ has fully decoupled parking from development and streamlined the approvals process for housing density, denser and more urban berkeley and oakland are still fighting its self-described "progressive" NIMBY residents to retain removal of street parking.

In its leveraging of a growing rail transit network, SJ should take inspiration from Montreal and Toronto - far and away the North American leaders in modern urbanism

Agreed. SJ still has a long ways to go before its local transit system is robust enough to complement HSR. Caltrain electrification and BART should help with that, but VTA needs improvements as well with its light rail and bus lines for more local trips. Some improvements with TOD are happening, but they need to think bigger and progress faster. Focusing on the area around Diridon will provide a good foundation. There's been a few decent new developments around there recently, but still a lot of empty land and surface parking lots.