Frequently Asked Questions

• The project is at 30% design and can start utility relocation, right-of-way preservation as funding becomes available.
• It is environmentally cleared and received its federal Record of Decision in 2019.
• The project is currently in the first phase, Project Development, of the Federal Transit Administrator's Capital Investment Grants program’s three-part process: Project Development, Engineering, and the Full Funding Grant Agreement. 

• The Portal is a transformational infrastructure investment, delivering on the decades-long promise of bringing communities closer, reducing climate change impacts by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing Bay Area residents with better access to jobs, housing and economic opportunities.
• The Portal is a foundational investment in creating an integrated Bay Area megaregional transportation system. It will close a significant gap in the region's transportation network and prepare for a future new train crossing between Oakland and San Francisco--Link 21. 
• When completed, the Portal will bring to fruition the vision of  the Transbay Program of creating a world-class multimodal transportation hub, the Salesforce Transit Center and deliver the 1999 San Francisco voter mandate to extend Caltrain service into downtown San Francisco.
• It epitomizes the bold, forward-thinking vision needed to create a brighter transit future for the Bay Area and State that addresses some of the greatest challenges we are experiencing today.

The project consists of 1.7 miles of tunnel that will connect two new rail stations: the Fourth and Townsend Street Station (adjacent to Caltrain’s San Francisco terminus station at Fourth and King) and the multimodal Salesforce Transit Center. The Project also includes emergency exit and ventilation structures along the tunnel alignment. See About The Portal for more information.