Caltrain acquires properties to facilitate grade separation in Burlingame

Caltrain will assume ownership, though the funds for the sale, about $635,000, are coming from TA-administered funds from Measure A funds, the half-cent countywide sales tax. 

The acquisition allows Caltrain to complete necessary work on the long-anticipated Broadway grade separation project, which would create a detachment between the road and the train tracks, lowering the risk of vehicle collisions as they cross the tracks. The crossing is frequently cited as the most dangerous rail crossing in the state, given at least 13 vehicle collisions that have occurred on or near the intersection since 2016 — which included two fatalities. 

But recent estimates to build the grade separation more than doubled from 2022 figures, going from $316 million to $889 million just three years later. The agency was able to ultimately reduce the price tag closer to $600 million, however, it requires closing the Broadway station entirely, which was not part of the original plan. 

The massive cost increases have caused friction between the city of Burlingame and Caltrain, with city leaders stating the rail agency was supposed to complete this project before Caltrain’s electrification, as working on live electrified infrastructure heightens the cost. Caltrain also admitted its original 2022 was inaccurate partly because it was derived from design, not construction, consultants. 

But Mayor Peter Stevenson said during the July TA board meeting that he was glad to see the effort moving ahead.

“We’re really pleased with the support not only from the TA but also from Caltrain in helping to move this forward,” Stevenson said. “This is obviously an important first step but we certainly appreciate it.”

The tenants of the two newly-acquired Caltrain parcels, located on both the north and south sides of the tracks, may have to relocate, though, it’s unclear exactly if and when. The TA currently generates about $130,000 per year from the properties right now, revenue that would eventually go to Caltrain, at least while the current tenants are occupying the property. 

The grade separation project is still in the early stages, as it hasn’t received all of the necessary funding. But to mitigate collisions in the meantime, at the end of last year, the transit agency partnered with RailSentry, which uses cameras, light detection and ranging, as well as machine learning technology. Once a change is detected at an intersection — usually by Caltrain-developed settings — the company’s monitoring center is alerted, which then notifies Caltrain dispatch.