NBC Bay Area got a first look at what’s called the “Train Box” under San Francisco’s Transbay Transit Center on Monday. It’s the giant, empty cavern downtown where Caltrains and high-speed rail trains are supposed to eventually pull into.
The tour was timed with the federal government officially pledging a large chunk of money to dig a tunnel under the city for the trains to get there.
As of Monday, the train mezzanine level under the transit center looks like an empty, massive room that stretches for a couple blocks underground. Under this mezzanine level is where the trains will eventually pull in.
“Our initial operator will be Caltrain, followed by high-speed rail when they get to that alignment,” said Transbay Joint Powers Authority Executive Director Adam Van de Water. “And we’re designed for a future of twelve trains per peak hour, per direction.”
Among the first to tour the train level — called “The Box” — was Rep. Nancy Pelosi. That room is even more massive than the mezzanine level. It’s where passengers will arrive in downtown San Francisco aboard Caltrain — and high-speed rail, if it’s ever completed.
But the approximately 2-mile tunnel to get those trains there still needs to be built. Pelosi was there to tout the 3.4 billion dollars in federal money that has been pledged to do just that.
She compared the station to Grand Central — except that high-speed rail would make it better.
“I take the New York-Boston, New York-Washington all the time for civic events and the rest,” Pelosi said. “This is in a class all by itself. It’s something so very different.”
The federal money is about half of the cost to build out the rest of The Box, complete with six tracks and corresponding platforms. It’ll also go toward a tunnel from the current Caltrain station to the transit center.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The Transbay Joint Powers Authority already has the other money pledged for the project, according to board Chairman Jeff Gee. But there’s still a funding gap to fill.
“About two billion dollars is what is needed to get to the target number to make sure we have all the monies in place before we start construction,” Gee said.
They’re looking toward local, regional and state sources to fill that gap.
In the meantime, the project is pushing ahead. Construction on the train tunnel — called “The Portal” — is scheduled to begin sometime next year.
But it won’t be a quick job. Gee figured that Caltrain will be able to begin service there in about 10 years.
