Rail News: Passenger Rail
FTA commits $900 million to BART Silicon Valley Berryessa project

Today, local and federal officials plan to mark a $900 million funding commitment from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension project.

The Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) with the FTA represents the largest project funding milestone in the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) history, VTA officials said in a prepared statement.

March 9 marked the end of a 60-day notification period, which means that the FTA’s recommendation to award the grant has been accepted by Congress, said VTA General Manager Michael Burns.

Execution of the FFGA is the final step before construction can begin on the 10-mile, two-station BART extension, he said.

The BART Silicon Valley project is a 16-mile extension of the existing BART system to San Jose, Milpitas and Santa Clara, Calif. The project will be built in a phases, with the Berryessa extension slated as the first phase.