UNION CITY, Calif. — As part of California’s efforts to expand mass transit, Union City is actively preparing to link the East Bay with broader regional networks, including the state’s future high-speed rail system, as soon as 2030.
Over the past several years, Union City has been working closely with state, local and regional agencies to extend the Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail service to the Union City BART Station using the Union Pacific Railroad tracks adjacent to the station. The roughly $200 million extension, set to be completed by the end of the decade, will link commuters to newly expanded routes in the Central Valley, spanning from Chico in the north to Merced in the south, where riders can access the future high-speed rail network.
ACE, which currently runs trains from San Jose to Stockton, is expected to offer three daily roundtrips between Union City and Merced, with plans to increase frequency to hourly trips by 2050.
The goal is to create a seamless link between ACE, BART and other transit services, facilitating smoother travel across the region and the state. The proposed Dumbarton Rail Corridor Project would provide further rail connectivity from southern Alameda County to the Peninsula.
The 2018 state rail plan first identified the need for a rail-to-rail transit hub in the East Bay and Union City was selected as that hub in November 2021, following an evaluation of the Tri-City area conducted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in the Southern Alameda County Integrated Analysis Phase 1 Report.
A subsequent Phase 2 report, released in July, outlined proposed operational plans and infrastructure improvements to support the intercity rail service. These improvements include building a new rail platform, an eastside entrance to the BART station and a pedestrian railroad crossing connecting the two.
Building a new railroad crossing is expected to cost about $7.2 million and necessitates closing another railroad crossing within the city. At a community meeting earlier this month, staff explained that they selected the railroad crossing at 12th Street and I Street because it would be less impactful to pedestrians, motorists and emergency responders than closing any other crossing in the city.
The expansion of rail service is just one of many changes coming to the 471-acre Station District in the near future. Learn more here.
Sonia Waraich can be reached at 510-952-7455.
