The Portal, also known as the Downtown Rail Extension project, is a transformational infrastructure investment, delivering on the decades-long promise of bringing communities closer, reducing climate change impacts, and providing Bay Area residents with better access to jobs, housing, and economic opportunities.

The project has been over 30 years in the making as part of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority’s (TJPA) vision to deliver seamless transportation service through its multimodal six-level transit hub, the Salesforce Transit Center, in downtown San Francisco. The Portal will extend Caltrain service from Fourth and King Street and ultimately, the California High-Speed Rail system to the Salesforce Transit Center, in the heart of downtown San Francisco and connect 11 transit systems.

PROJECT STATUS

Completed 30% Design

The TJPA has completed the 30% design of The Portal, which has an anticipated revenue service date of 2032, funding dependent.

Advancing in the Federal Transit Administration's Program 

The Portal is in the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants Program (FTA CIG), Project Development phase, as of December 2021. TJPA has requested entry into the second phase of the FTA CIG process, Engineering, to continue to advance the project for a Full Funding Grant Agreement execution in Spring 2025. 

Regional and Federal Priority Project 

The Portal has been endorsed as a Tier 1 project in the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Plan Bay Area 2050 and recognized as a Federal SAFETEA-LU Project of National and Regional Significance. 

Cleared Environmental Requirements

The Transbay Transit Center Program, including The Portal project, is environmentally cleared pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and their implementing regulations. 

Project Details

About

Find out more about The Portal and how it will unite the Bay Area and connect California.

Transbay Program

Delivering the Vision

The delivery of The Portal is part of the long-term vision of the TJPA’s Transbay Program created in 2001.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TRANSBAY PROGRAM

 

Transit Center Skyline

Get Project Updates

Receive updates and latest news directly in your inbox