What is the Transbay Project?

It is a visionary transportation and housing project that will transform downtown San Francisco and our regional transportation system by creating a “Grand Central Station of the West” in the heart of a new transit-friendly neighborhood surrounding the Transit Center.

Why do we need it?

It is time for public infrastructure to meet the needs of the 21st century. The Transbay Transit Center Project will centralize a fractured regional transportation network — making transit connections between all points in the Bay Area fast and convenient. The new Transit Center will make public transit a convenient option, as it is in other world-class cities, allowing people to travel and commute without the need for a car, thereby decreasing congestion and pollution. The Transit Center will provide a downtown hub in the heart of a new transit-friendly neighborhood with new homes, parks and shops, providing access to public transit literally at the foot of people’s doors.

When will I be able to use the Transit Center?

The Transit Center building will be completed in 2017, and initially will be used by AC Transit and intercity buses, operating in an outstanding facility with well designed public spaces and a variety of retail uses.

When will I be able to take Caltrain into the new Transit Center?

The construction of the underground rail extension for the Caltrain rail line and future High Speed Rail is planned to begin in 2012. It is estimated to be completed and operational in 2018, or sooner if funding becomes available.

How many people will use it?

The Transit Center will serve up to 45 million people annually. Extending Caltrain into downtown will directly save commuters almost an hour a day in travel time, and will result in less driving and more people taking the train into the City from the Peninsula. We estimate that there will be about 33,000 rail trips to the Transbay Transit Center from the Peninsula each weekday, resulting in a reduction of more than 36,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year. In addition, California High Speed Rail will carry more passengers, helping to alleviate traffic congestion on California freeways and further reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

How many new jobs will the project create?

The Transbay Project will create more than 125,000 construction jobs from the construction of the Transit Center and Downtown Rail Extension alone, stimulating our local economy. The first phase of the project will create more than 36,000 new jobs. The second phase of the project is anticipated to create more than 89,000 new jobs. In addition, the project will provide tens of thousands of additional construction jobs from the Transbay Redevelopment Area. The Transit Center will serve as the physical center of future office development and permanent employment growth in San Francisco and will deliver the workforce to drive that growth.

How much will it cost and how is it funded?

The Transbay Transit Center and Caltrain Downtown Extension Program costs are estimated at $4.185 billion, escalated to the year of expenditure (YOE). The first phase of the project includes construction of the above-ground portion of the new intermodal Transit Center, bus ramps, and bus storage facility. It also includes construction of the Temporary Terminal to serve passengers while the new Transit Center is under construction. On June 11, 2009, the TJPA Board directed the Transit Center Architect to also include the below-grade rail levels in the design, rather than just rail foundations as had been previously planned in the phasing. The TJPA is actively seeking funding for the rail box and will release an updated cost, schedule and funding plan in fall 2009. The second phase of the project will complete the 1.3-mile extension of the Caltrain rail line from Fourth and King streets underground into the new Transit Center. Phase 2 is partially funded at this time.

Where will riders who use the current Transbay Terminal go while the Transit Center is under construction?

Bus service will continue uninterrupted at a Temporary Terminal between Main/Beale and Howard/Folsom streets, just a few blocks southeast of the Transbay Terminal and future Transit Center. Groundbreaking for the Temporary Terminal occurred in December 2008. For more information on the Temporary Terminal, visit www.TemporaryTerminal.org

What is the Transit Tower?

The Transit Tower is a high-rise building adjacent to the Transit Center that will provide additional funding to augment the Transit Center funding plan. Although the Transit Center and Transit Tower will be designed together, the Transit Tower will be developed by Hines Development, a private development company, not the TJPA.

Who is designing the Transbay Transit Center?

After a 10-month international Design & Development Competition, the TJPA Board unanimously selected Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and Hines as lead architect and developer of the Transit Center and Tower. The Pelli/Hines design features a “green roof” on top of the Transit Center so that commuters, downtown residents, office workers and visitors alike can walk, eat lunch, and relax in the new 5.4-acre park. To learn more about PCPA, please visit www.pcparch.com.

Who is in charge of the Project?

The TJPA is managed by TJPA staff and is overseen by its six-member Board of Directors. The TJPA consists of a historic collaboration of Bay Area government and transportation agencies committed to replacing the current Transbay Terminal in San Francisco with the new Transbay Transit Center to improve the transportation needs for the Bay Area region and the entire State.