FTA allocates $300M to Transbay project

BART has suffered a 94% drop in ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) just announced that the Transbay Corridor Core Capacity project will receive a Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 funding allocation of $300 million through the FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program.

The project aims to improve capacity on the existing Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) heavy rail system between the Oakland and downtown San Francisco.

Following the announcement, the FTA has indeed “stopped stalling” and advanced funding for 23 new CIG projects—totaling approximately $6.3 billion in funding commitments—throughout the nation since January 20, 2017.

In addition to the funds, the FTA is also advancing the Transbay project into the engineering phase—the second phase of the CIG program. The project must still progress through additional steps in the CIG program to be eligible to receive a construction grant agreement.

“This investment in public transportation infrastructure will improve mobility for the many riders who depend on public transit every day in the Bay Area,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

“We are pleased to allocate funding to San Francisco’s Transbay project,” said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. “This project will allow BART to operate up to 30 trains per hour through the Transbay Tube, helping to alleviate crowding and accommodate growing ridership.”