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.

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 | Group Editorial Director

Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.

Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. 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 served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.

She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.