Link21 Program Monthly Stakeholder Update
January 2023
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Fall 2022 Engagement
During fall 2022, the Link21 Team proactively engaged
with key stakeholders and the public through various
in-person and virtual outreach activities to provide
Program updates and seek valuable input on example
concepts for a new transbay crossing that could
connect new markets and provide improved service
and other key passenger rail improvements.
Outreach began with targeted discussions with
jurisdictions, regional agency partners, and the BART
and CCJPA Boards of Directors (Boards). The team
then focused on engaging industry organizations and
community stakeholders, and they concluded with
large megaregional and targeted public virtual events.
In total, the Program participated in 28 virtual briefings, seven Speakers Bureau events, and tabled in-person
at 22 locations, including in stations, community
events, universities, and a tribal event. In addition, Link21 hosted seven interactive virtual webinars and office
hours directly engaging approximately 1,900 people.
Ongoing efforts to build awareness about Link21 using
digital platforms, such as social media, online media
publications, and the Link21 website, resulted in 3.5
million impressions (ads, posts, and webpage views).
All input received and gathered is being reviewed
and considered by the Link21 Team to help shape the
development of the initial list of concepts that will be complete in early 2023.
Here are some highlights of what we heard:
• General excitement over Link21
• Expressed need for improved train service for
better travel options
– Longer hours of operation, more frequency,
better transfers
– Better connectivity and train reliability
(across the Bay, from areas to the east and south
into the core Bay Area)
• Complaints related to current service
(cost, safety, access, etc.)
• Questions around how the new train crossing
will integrate with existing systems and other rail
and transit projects currently being planned by
other agencies
• Concern about project cost and the long
development schedule
With the public’s help, much work is occurring to
identify, evaluate, and refine concepts to move forward towards a potential Link21 project that meets the needs of our growing and dynamic Megaregion.
Example Concepts – A Deep Dive
The goal for Phase 1 is to identify a potential project to advance into environmental review. To do this, we are
starting with initial concepts that are informed by the market analysis, service planning, ridership modeling,
early environmental work, and public input. Concepts
are being refined using several metrics to ensure they
meet Link21’s goals and objectives. Throughout 2023,
concepts will go through multiple rounds of refinement
and a project will emerge for consideration and
advancement by the BART and CCJPA Boards in
early 2024.
What is Included in a Concept
A concept is a set of potential improvements that
include a new train crossing of the San Francisco
Bay with connections to the BART and Regional Rail
(e.g. Capitol Corridor, Caltrain) networks on either
side of the bay. The concepts will also include more
convenient transfers between the rail networks and
other key infrastructure improvements beyond the
crossing, such as enhanced or new stations and
improvements to other parts of the rail network to
create better capacity and service reliability. The
concepts described below focus on the infrastructure
improvements that will enable overlapping of types
of rail service – resulting in better connectivity, faster travel times, increased frequencies, easier transfers
and better connections.
January 2023
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The concepts include options for a second BART
crossing, a new Regional Rail crossing, or opportunity
for both. Each concept must operate and provide
benefits on its own and will not impede other planned
and proposed projects being driven by our partner
agencies. In fact, we see the new Link21 crossing as a
critical piece of the future transportation network that will amplify the benefits of other planned rail and transit projects around the Megaregion to create a more
connected and seamless network.
Service benefits will allow riders to access places
not served before and provide more frequent trains,
faster rides, and potentially fewer or more convenient
transfers to get to desired megaregional destinations.
The new crossing will encourage more people to
take the train and offer an alternative to congested
roadways that benefit all travelers. The map below
illustrates how a new rail crossing in conjunction with other key rail improvements unlock both local and
regional travel options across the entire rail network to connect travelers to where they want to go.
However, understanding that any new or enhanced
train infrastructure will affect local communities, such as temporary construction for stations or rail work,
Link21 is proactively collaborating with local jurisdictions and the community in this early planning phase before
a project is identified to truly understand concerns and needs that will help shape the future project.
While no decisions on concepts have been made,
the example concepts represent what the Program
is developing, and they were shared last fall to seek
initial input.
EXAMPLE CONCEPTS: REGIONAL RAIL AND
BART CROSSINGS
These example concepts demonstrate a phased option
that would ultimately include new crossings for both
services, orange representing Regional Rail and blue
representing BART. Since the two services operate with
different vehicle and track types, they cannot run within the same structure so these examples show an option
for running parallel in one alignment or separated to
reach more communities. As the initial list of concepts are further developed and evaluated, the Program will
determine the trade-offs and benefits of each to help
find the best option to advance.
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Unlocking Train Travel Potential
View online at Link21Program.org
One Alignment - Two Structures
View online at Link21Program.org
Two Alignments - Two Structures
View online at Link21Program.org
January 2023
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The next two sets of maps show the same concepts,
but separately to simplify the visuals and to focus on
some of the details.
EXAMPLE CONCEPTS: REGIONAL RAIL
A new Regional Rail crossing would build capacity,
improve reliability, add new connection possibilities,
and improve service and travel time for Regional Rail
riders traveling around the Megaregion.
Today, Regional Rail is designed to serve medium- to
long-distance travelers, so service generally does not
stop as much. But in dense urban areas, if equipped
with modern trains as planned for Link21, Regional Rail could also function more as a metro system like BART,
stopping more often but doing so quickly and having
more frequent trains. These trains are already used this way in other major cities around the world.
In these example concepts, Regional Rail connects
in San Francisco to the Salesforce Transit Center’s
underground station and the future Downtown Rail
Extension to join with the existing Caltrain rail line down the Peninsula. This would allow Caltrain (serving the
San Francisco Peninsula) to connect to the East Bay,
and Capitol Corridor (serving Sacramento to San Jose)
to connect to the San Francisco Peninsula.
These example concepts differ in the East Bay providing direct service to different communities. Concepts will
explore serving Alameda and West Oakland before
extending to longer-distance routes and markets. The
concept on the right provides a faster, more direct
route between San Francisco and West Oakland.
These examples connect key destinations identified
through the market analysis performed in 2021 that also highlighted the opportunities for transbay rail potential, improvements of existing service, and potential to add
service to new neighborhoods, such as Alameda.
Additional Improvements Being Considered
Improvements would also be made beyond the
crossing (e.g., north of Emeryville on to Richmond) to
allow more trains per hour, and more reliable (on-time) service. Concepts will include better transfers between services, such as the Oakland Coliseum and Richmond
Stations, or a new transfer in West Oakland. As the
region continues to grow, we need to provide reliable
travel options. A second crossing also creates capacity and redundancy in the event of a maintenance or
other type of closure which gives riders another option for crossing the Bay.
EXAMPLE CONCEPTS: BART
MacArthur to 1st & Howard
View online at Link21Program.org
Alameda to Salesforce Transit Center
View online at Link21Program.org
Emeryville to Salesforce Transit Center
View online at Link21Program.org
January 2023
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Past & Upcoming Meetings/Presentations
JAN 3 BART & CCJPA STAFF
JAN 6 CALTRAIN STAFF
JAN 8-12 TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
ANNUAL MEETING
JAN 10 SOUTH BAY TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS
ASSOCIATION
JAN 17 CITY OF ALAMEDA STAFF
JAN 19 SAN FRANCISCO AGENCIES COORDINATION
JAN 25 CITY OF OAKLAND STAFF
JAN 26 CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA'S NORCAL
CHAPTER: CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM BAY AREA RAIL
JAN 27 CONTRA COSTA TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION
FEB 1 CITY OF RICHMOND STAFF
FEB 2 CITY OF EMERYVILLE STAFF
FEB 3 CALTRAIN STAFF
FEB 14 LINK21 EQUITY ADVISORY COUNCIL –
RESCHEDULED
FEB 22 CALTRAIN ADVOCACY AND MAJOR
PROJECTS COMMITTEE
FEB 28 LINK21 EQUITY ADVISORY COUNCIL
The Link21 Team is in the process of scheduling
additional meetings with jurisdictions, regional agency partners, and Link21 working groups, staff, and executive project development teams, as well as the BART and
CCJPA Boards.
Stay engaged in this transformational rail program
as we work towards identifying a Link21 project. There
will be many opportunities to participate and share
your thoughts.
Connecting with Link21
Website: www.Link21Program.org
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 855-905-LINK (9045)
EXAMPLE CONCEPTS: BART (CONT)
The BART example concepts show a similar connection
to the existing network on the East Bay, but it differs on the San Francisco side. Both examples could serve
Alameda, currently not served directly by BART, and
they show a potential new station in the downtown
Oakland area. They also include a possible new station
in the San Antonio neighborhood of Oakland. Both
examples join back up with the existing BART network
(all lines – Richmond, Antioch, Dublin-Pleasanton, and
Warm Springs), and they include a new convenient
transfer at Oakland Jack London Square and improved
transfer at the Oakland Coliseum.
In San Francisco, the example concepts could provide
transfers to the existing BART lines along Market
Street (shown in thin blue); however, they would not
join up with the existing BART Market Street line, as
the new crossing would be intended to function as
an alternative routing to the existing one in order
to increase overall transbay transit capacity. Link21
concepts will be compatible with and possibly connect
to a future western San Francisco rail extension along
Geary Boulevard and 19th Avenue, a project being
studied by San Francisco agencies as represented by
the grey dotted arrow.
Example concepts show opportunity to serve different
communities in San Francisco, such as a new station
in Mission Bay or a direct line to the Salesforce Transit Center, to provide redundancy to the existing BART
crossing. Concepts will also explore more convenient
transfers between services at the Salesforce Transit
Center and the 4th and King Stations.
As a note and reminder, these example concepts do
not represent exact alignments and could shift north,
south, east, or west as analysis and refinement of
concepts occurs this year based on local jurisdictional plans and public input.
MacArthur to Mission Bay
View online at Link21Program.org