Direct Sacramento To San Francisco Train May Be Built With New Rail Program

A direct rail trip between Sacramento and San Francisco may part of a new program to overhaul the Bay Area rail network, according to the Sacramento Business Journal.

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority and the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District announced Link21, a new program committed to transforming both light and passenger rail throughout the Bay Area.

As of right now, Capitol Corridor riders traveling from Sacramento to San Francisco must stop at the Emeryville station, where they can then take a bus to the city, or stop at the Richmond station, where they can transfer to BART.

"We're going to really that a much easier connection," said managing director of the Capitol Corridor, Rob Padgette. "From my perspective, that does much more than make that an easier commute."

The Link21 program currently has about $150 million in funding, according to project manager Camille Tsao.

Planning and project development will likely last for several years, said Tsao.

"We are in the process of figuring out what the program is," she said. "What we're starting with is a bunch of goals and objectives that we're trying to achieve. What do we need to provide, how do we improve rail service in the megaregion so that people want to use rail?"

The project also includes adding a new crossing to BART to reduce crowding and unreliability.

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