The Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) opened a 45-day comment period at its May 28 meeting to consider actions requested from the Tri-Valley—San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority that will pave the way for Valley Link to receive $400 million that had previously been allocated for Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to Livermore.
The requested actions include several components:
Acknowledge the rail authority as a new agency in Alameda County eligible to receive Measure BB funds from ACTC;
Remove the BART to Livermore project and its associated $400 million from the Measure BB Transportation Expenditure Plan; and
Add Valley Link to the expenditure plan with $400 million in Measure BB funding.
Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who also serves on the Alameda County Transportation Commission and is the Regional Rail Authority’s Chair said, “The significance of this action cannot be overstated. The residents of the Tri-Valley have waited for more than half a century for the BART to Livermore extension that never happened. When this action is complete, almost 25 percent of the cost to build Valley Link will be secured and we will have taken a significant step to actually seeing rail transit service in Livermore and beyond."
Following the review of comments received during the 45-day comment period, ACTC is expected to consider the requested actions in September.
Phase 1 of the proposed Valley Link rail service would cover 42 miles connecting the existing Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station to the proposed ACE North Lathrop Station. A second phase would extend service from the North Lathrop Station to the ACE and Amtrak Stockton Station. Trains would be scheduled to allow for convenient transfers to BART. The first Valley Link trains could be placed in service as early as 2027.
