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    1. Rail
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    Control of BART Berryessa Extension transfers from SCVTA to BART

    June 7, 2019
    Next up for the project is final testing and pre-revenue operations in preparation for service to begin in late 2019.
    Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
    A Santa Clara VTA train travels past the newly constructed Milpitas Station, which is one of two new stations constructed as part of the first phase of the BART Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension.
    A Santa Clara VTA train travels past the newly constructed Milpitas Station, which is one of two new stations constructed as part of the first phase of the BART Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension.

    Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority  (SCVTA) has transferred control of the trackway, systems and facilities of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension Project to BART. The first phase of the project extends BART's system 10 miles into Santa Clara County and BART now has exclusive access to begin the final phase of testing and pre-revenue operations in preparation for passenger service at both the Milpitas and Berryessa Transit Centers planned to begin before the end of 2019.

    Ground was broken on the Phase 1 in 2012, which will connect the BART Warm Springs Station in Southern Fremont and follow in the former Union Pacific corridor through Milpitas to the Berryessa District of San Jose. SCVTA designed, funded and built the systems and facilities and BART will operate the service, maintain the systems and two new BART stations located within SCVTA's new transit centers in Milpitas and North San Jose. Phase 2 will further extend the line by six miles to Santa Clara. 

    The transfer of control wraps up nearly two decades of planning between SCVTA and BART as the two agencies worked to design and construct the system and stations to deliver regional rail service to Santa Clara County. 

    Before service on the extension can begin, BART will:

    • ​Transition all operations from a project test center to their operations control center
    • Integrate the operations of the new BART service and stations with the existing BART system
    • Train personnel and begin simulated service to and from the new stations - replicating the service you'll experience when the stations open for passenger service
    • Make final safety checks and obtain safety certifications from the State of California
    • Set the fares and service plan for the new service; BART's Board of Directors is expected to vote on fares and the service plan between Warm Springs, Milpitas and Berryessa Stations on June 13.

    “With construction and [SCVTA's] testing of the major systems completed, [SCVTA] has passed the baton so BART can bring this project over the finish line,” said SCVTA General Manager and CEO Nuria Fernandez.

    About the Author

    Mischa Wanek-Libman | Editor in Chief

    Mischa Wanek-Libman serves as editor in chief of Mass Transit magazine. She is responsible for developing and maintaining the magazine’s editorial direction and is based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

    Wanek-Libman has spent more than 20 years covering transportation issues including construction projects and engineering challenges for various commuter railroads and transit agencies. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content. 

    She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and serves as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.  

    She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a major in magazine journalism and a minor in business management.

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