By Transit California Staff
Metropolitan Transportation Commission: Final Plan Bay Area 2050+ and Final EIR Now Available
After nearly three years of public discussion, technical analysis and refinement, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) released the proposed final Plan Bay Area 2050+ and the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Plan Bay Area 2050+. Read the proposed final Plan Bay Area 2050+ and its supplemental reports at planbayarea.org/finalplan. The Final EIR for Plan Bay Area 2050+ also can be accessed online at planbayarea.org/2050/environmental-impact-report-eir.
This notice is provided pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21092.5, which requires that the lead agency provide a written proposed response to all public agencies that made comments on the EIR at least 10 days prior to certification of the EIR. The responses are now available at https://planbayarea.org/2050/environmental-impact-report-eir.
The plan and its related reports will be presented for review and consideration at a joint meeting of the MTC Planning Committee with the ABAG Administrative Committee on Friday, March 13 before referring them to their respective approving bodies.
The ABAG Executive Board will consider adoption of the final plan and certification of the Final EIR at their March 19 meeting. The Commission will consider certifying the Final EIR and adopting the final plan, Air Quality Conformity Analysis and 2025 TIP Amendment at their March 25 meeting.
This release follows a 59-day public comment period for the draft plan and the Draft EIR that closed on December 18, 2025. The proposed final plan and Final EIR have been updated to reflect feedback received during the public comment period. All comments received on the draft plan and related supplemental reports can be found on the Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+ page of the Plan Bay Area website. Comments received on the Draft EIR, along with responses, are available at https://planbayarea.org/2050/environmental-impact-report-eir.
Bay Area Rapid Transit: First phase of Transit-Oriented Development underway at El Cerrito Plaza Station
On Thursday, March 5, leaders from BART, the State of California, the City of El Cerrito, and development partner Related California celebrated the groundbreaking of 70 affordable apartments at the El Cerrito Plaza BART Station, marking the official start of construction on the first phase of a transformative Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). This milestone is the first in a multi-phase effort that will ultimately transform approximately 6.5 acres of underutilized BART parking lots into 743 new apartments.
In addition to the new homes, the broader master plan includes a 22,000 square-foot public plaza spanning from Liberty Street to the BART station, 20,000 square-feet for a potential public library, up to 2,100 square feet of commercial space, secure bike parking, a new bus zone, and 145 parking spaces for BART riders in a new garage. Funding related to the TOD will also improve the surrounding area’s bike lanes and street parking management.
Phase One – the Parcel A South building – will construct 70 homes for qualifying low-income individuals and families earning 30% to 60% of the Contra Costa County Area Median Income. Construction on Parcel A South began in November 2025 and is expected to take approximately two years. Future phases will follow as funding is secured, building toward a vibrant, walkable community centered on transit.
“This project exemplifies what we can accomplish when transit, housing, and community priorities align,” said BART Director Barnali Ghosh, whose District 3 includes El Cerrito Plaza Station. “By building high-quality, affordable homes right next to BART, we make it easier for families to thrive while reducing traffic, emissions, and long commutes, strengthening both our neighborhoods and our regional transportation system.”
“This groundbreaking reflects years of collaboration between the City of El Cerrito, BART, and our development partners,” said El Cerrito Mayor Gabe Quinto. “As a designated Pro-Housing City, El Cerrito is committed to expanding housing opportunities through projects like this that support sustainability, reduce car dependency, and create vibrant, walkable communities near transit, retail, and schools. This development advances the City’s goals by providing housing at a range of income levels while helping meet our region’s housing needs.
“The El Cerrito Plaza development represents an incredible opportunity to leverage BART-owned land to connect residents to jobs and amenities, promote increased BART ridership, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Ann Silverberg, President and CEO of Related California Affordable. “Alongside our partners, we share a clear vision to help more residents stay in the Bay Area by strengthening the connection between affordable housing and transit. This first phase moves us closer to a vibrant, mixed-income neighborhood that will serve El Cerrito for generations.”
El Cerrito Plaza is one of several major TOD projects that BART is advancing across its system, designed to generate ridership and contribute to the agency’s long-term financial sustainability, strengthen local economies, and provide equitable access to opportunity.
BART’s TOD program delivers well-designed, mixed-use, higher-density housing and community amenities adjacent to BART stations. TODs help reduce household transportation costs and environmental impacts while boosting transit ridership and supporting regional housing goals.
New “chime” fare gate tones make BART stations easier to navigate for blind and low-vision riders
On Monday, March 2, BART rolled out new fare gate tones that are more pleasing and audible over station background noise, making stations more welcoming and simpler to navigate, especially for blind and low-vision riders.
The new “chime” tones play when riders hold their fare media (Clipper card, contactless bank card, or mobile payments) on the reader for an additional second and are intended to inform blind and low-vision customers that the fare gate is open to pass through. An ascending chime plays on entering and a descending chime plays on exiting. The chime tone is also easier to distinguish from the beep sound the fare gates generate for errors, such as insufficient funds. This chime tone does not play automatically every time someone taps their fare media as this would create a cacophony in the station and make it difficult to know if a specific fare gate were open.
BART’s old fare gates previously used beeps to indicate the fare gates were open because they were among the few sounds the dated technology could produce. BART’s new fare gates, which were installed at all stations in August 2025, can produce a wider range of tones.
Seizing this opportunity, BART staff developed the new chime tone and collected feedback from the BART Accessibility Task Force (BATF), BART Station Agents, and an online survey during a pilot period at three stations.
Ryan Greene-Roesel, BART Director of Customer Access and Accessibility, is a musician and developed the distinctive chime chords on her piano. BART’s sound engineers then input the chords into a digital program that let the team generate various iterations before the final iteration was selected.
“We hope customers and station staff enjoy the new tones as we continue to work hard to improve the BART experience for all of our riders,” Greene-Roesel said.
Caltrain Board Adopts Corridor-Wide Right-of-Way Safety Strategy
Strategy takes a consistent, data-driven approach to reducing trespassing, track intrusions and preventable tragedies along the Caltrain corridor
The Caltrain Board of Directors voted to adopt a new Caltrain Corridor Right-of-Way Safety Strategy (CROWS), a corridor-wide framework designed to strengthen ongoing safety enhancements on Caltrain’s right-of-way.
“Safety is Caltrain’s core value, and the need to make our right-of-way safer is reflected in everything we do,” said Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard. “After years of targeted improvements, this strategy establishes a comprehensive approach to reducing risk, strengthening accountability, and delivering the most effective treatments where they are needed most throughout the entire Caltrain corridor to keep the people and communities we serve safe.”
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs and available funding since the agency’s founding. While these investments have delivered meaningful benefits, the corridor continues to face serious challenges including repeated trespassing incidents and vehicle incursions onto the right-of-way, events that can result in death or serious injury, trauma to employees and the public and significant service disruptions.
The CROWS Strategy is designed to standardize and scale effective improvements, in order to accelerate deployment at identified high-risk locations, and strengthen ongoing maintenance and monitoring to ensure safety improvements remain effective over time. Staff are also seeking additional funding to expand proven measures to more locations throughout the corridor.
The CROWS Strategy combines education, outreach, enforcement, engineering improvements, and standards/procedure updates—organized around data-driven risk analysis and national best practices for trespass and suicide prevention.
The strategy includes:
1) Hazard and Risk Assessments (data-driven prioritization)
Update a corridor-wide threat and Vulnerability Assessment (TVA) that explicitly addresses trespass, suicide risk and grade-crossing hazards, incorporating applicable Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) tools and Caltrain data.
Update the Grade Crossing Hazard Assessment using FRA accident prediction inputs and local collision/trespass history to support prioritization for separation, closure or improvements.
2) Enforcement (targeted deterrence and rapid response)
Recurring, data-driven enforcement blitzes at high-risk crossings and trespass locations, providing opportunities to educate the public as well as citations for egregious behavior.
Coordinated operations with cities and local police to increase presence at peak-risk times.
Training and coordination with law enforcement on crisis intervention and rail-specific hazards, including appropriate 988 referral pathways.
Expanded data collection and analytics (including heat maps by location/time) to deploy resources effectively and measure results.
Potential license plate recognition pilot to deter grade-crossing violations, identify unauthorized vehicles, and support coordinated enforcement with local partners.
3) Education and Outreach (shared responsibility and safer behavior)
A corridor-wide Safety Communications Strategy with consistent messaging: stay off the tracks, follow grade-crossing rules, and increase 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline visibility in appropriate locations and formats.
Targeted outreach in communities near high-risk crossings and stations (e.g., schools, senior centers, businesses, and service providers).
Seasonal and event-based campaigns using earned media, social media and station announcements.
Partnerships with organizations such as Operation Lifesaver and local jurisdictions for ongoing joint education and enforcement events.
4) Engineering and Technology (physical and operational risk reduction)
A corridor-wide plan to reduce access to the tracks (barriers, fencing, channelization, and design integration for grade separations and station rebuilds).
Pilot and standardize treatments such as anti-trespass panels at high-risk access points.
CCTV Master Planning for a unified system across crossings, stations, yards, and high-risk areas, including analytics/intrusion detection and defined monitoring/response protocols.
Vegetation management focused on safety sightlines, fire risk, and limiting informal access paths into the ROW.
Copper theft mitigation measures to protect critical signal and grade-crossing infrastructure and reduce service impacts.
5) Standards and Procedure Updates (consistency and accountability)
A Grade Crossing Design Standard incorporating current best practices (signage, lighting, channelization, barriers, CCTV expectations, and other treatments).
Updated internal controls requiring TVA and hazard assessment use in scoping capital and third-party projects.
Enhanced ROW access procedures and strengthened internal reporting systems to improve visibility, tracking, and corrective action.
Ongoing transparency through quarterly safety reporting
Caltrain will continue to provide regular safety reports to the board and share similar information with employees to support a stronger safety culture and continuous improvement. Reports include both lagging indicators reported to the FRA (which can reveal hazards after incidents occur), and leading indicators that help identify risk earlier and enable preventive action before incidents happen.
The public is reminded to stay off the tracks and railroad property, cross only at designated crossings and obey all warnings and posted signs.
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System: SkyLINE Affordable Housing Community Completion Celebrated at Rancho Bernardo Transit Station
Community delivers 100 affordable homes and strengthens access to public transit in San Diego
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and Affirmed Housing, a leading provider of affordable and supportive housing throughout California, have announced the completion of SkyLINE, a seven-story, mixed-use, transit-oriented affordable housing community at the Rancho Bernardo Transit Station. The new development delivers 100 affordable apartment homes and new amenities for transit riders, transforming an underutilized park-and-ride site into a community centered on housing and mobility.
“Completing SkyLINE is a significant achievement for our region and demonstrates how housing and transit investments can work hand in hand to strengthen communities,” said Stephen Whitburn, MTS Board Chair and San Diego City Councilmember. “This development delivers high-quality affordable homes in a high-opportunity area and reinforces the value of building vibrant, transit-oriented communities.”
Developed by Affirmed Housing on land leased from MTS, SkyLINE includes 100 apartments for individuals and families earning between 30 and 55 percent of the area median income (AMI), including one unit for an onsite property manager. The project includes one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, as well as shared amenities, such as laundry rooms, a community room with a learning center, furnished outdoor space for resident gatherings, and a tot-lot play area.
“SkyLINE reflects our commitment to addressing the region’s housing needs while strengthening access to public transportation,” said Jimmy Silverwood, president of Affirmed Housing. “By building affordable housing next to high-quality transit, we are creating opportunities for residents to connect more easily to jobs, schools and other essential services.”
Located adjacent to the Rancho Bernardo Transit Station, SkyLINE places residents within walking distance of public transportation and near grocery stores, healthcare services, pharmacies and the Rancho Bernardo Library. The transit station is served by high-frequency bus routes traveling from downtown San Diego to North County and include Rapid and Rapid Express routes.
“SkyLINE is the remarkable transformation of a former transit parking lot into 100 new sustainable affordable housing units for working families and represents the impact that public-private partnerships can make,” said Pamela Gabriel, Bank of America San Diego market executive. “Bank of America was proud to provide construction, tax credit and solar credit financing with our longtime partner Affirmed Housing to help make SkyLINE possible with city, county and state partners.”
In this GreenPoint-rated community, residents will also have access to onsite programs and services focused on health and wellness, financial literacy, career readiness, parenting, food preparation and community engagement. Compass for Affordable Housing will provide resident services to the property’s tenants.
SkyLINE includes approximately 14,000 square feet of commercial space, which will serve as Affirmed Housing’s corporate offices and generate rental revenue for MTS. The development is part of a 99-year ground lease between Affirmed Housing and MTS, allowing the transit agency to activate underutilized land while maintaining long-term transit operations.
As part of the project, Affirmed Housing worked closely with MTS to meet current and future parking needs for transit riders. The building’s parking structure includes 84 dedicated parking spaces for MTS patrons, in addition to 76 resident parking spaces.
Together, Affirmed Housing and MTS advanced a shared approach that aligns housing development with transit access, creating a community designed to serve both residents and the broader region.
The Rancho Bernardo community is part of a larger effort by MTS to redevelop top-tier park-and-ride lots and transit station locations into transit-oriented housing developments.
Santa Cruz METRO CEO Appointed to California Transit Association Executive Committee
Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) CEO Corey Aldridge has been appointed to the California Transit Association (CTA) Executive Committee, representing mid-sized transit operators across the state through the 2027 term.
CTA serves as California’s primary statewide advocacy organization for public transit agencies, representing the industry’s interests before the State Legislature, Governor’s Office, and key regulatory agencies.
“Having a seat on the CTA Executive Committee ensures that the operational realities and priorities of agencies like Santa Cruz METRO are front and center when decisions are being made in Sacramento,” said Corey Aldridge, METRO CEO. “This role allows us to advocate for practical, workable solutions that support reliable service, workforce development, and continued investment in public transportation.”
As a representative of the Medium-Size Operator Group, Aldridge will provide insight on the unique challenges and opportunities facing transit agencies serving communities like Santa Cruz County, including funding stability, state regulatory compliance, and advancing zero-emission bus implementation.
Strengthening METRO’s Voice at the State and National Levels
In addition to his new role with CTA, Aldridge serves as:
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President of The Bus Coalition, a national organization focused on advancing bus transit priorities in federal policy, including fleet transition, service delivery, and funding.
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Board Member of American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the premier national trade association representing public transportation agencies across the United States.
Through these leadership positions, METRO gains early insight into emerging state and federal policies, funding opportunities, and industry best practices. Participation at both the state and national levels strengthen METRO’s ability to secure competitive grants, navigate regulatory changes, and remain proactive in addressing evolving transit needs.
“These roles are not just professional appointments — they directly benefit Santa Cruz METRO and the community we serve,” Aldridge added. “By staying engaged at the highest levels of transit leadership, we ensure our agency remains forward-thinking, financially competitive, and aligned with best practices nationwide.”
Santa Cruz METRO has been under Aldridge’s leadership since April 2024. During this time, the agency has continued advancing service and reliability initiatives, including Reimagine METRO and strategic planning efforts to better serve Santa Cruz County residents.
For more information about Santa Cruz METRO, visit scmetro.org.
Tri-Delta Transit: Transit Employee Appreciation Day is here!
National Transit Employee Appreciation Day, formerly Transit Driver Appreciation Day, is celebrated on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 and for Tri Delta Transit on Thursday, March 19th as well.
This time of year is calendared to recognize and honor all transit workers for day after day and year after year serving our residents, riders, and visitors throughout eastern Contra Costa County. Tri Delta Transit and Bay Area transit agencies recognize that it takes a small village to provide public transit. From administration and accounting who secure grants and funding, provide customer service, planning, and more – to maintenance, parts and fuelers who maintain the fleet of buses and vehicles, over 600 stops, and the facility – to reservationists, dispatch, and safety for operations – and to our drivers who assist the public in getting to the people, places and things that they love despite Bay Area traffic, weather, and more.
Tri Delta Transit has been here for you for nearly 50 years, including during the pandemic. We connect people in the areas we serve to BART and other Bay Area Transit enabling you to go anywhere you want to go. We operate under any conditions – difficult or not – to provide you with the best service we can.
Tri Delta Transit takes our hat off to each and every person who works hard so that our community has public transportation.
As Gas Prices Skyrocket, San Diego MTS Launches Commute Calculator to Show How Much Residents Can Save Taking Transit
Commuting from Eastlake to UTC costs more than $40 a day according to a commute cost calculator created by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The same roundtrip commute on the Trolley and bus costs $5.
With the recent surge in fuel prices, MTS is reminding San Diego County residents that public transit can ease the financial pain as it remains one of the most affordable ways to get around. According to AAA, average gas prices in the county soared to $5.635 per gallon for regular gas; a dollar more than one month ago and the highest price since October 2023.
“With gas prices rising so quickly across the region, families are feeling the financial strain,” said Stephen Whitburn, MTS Board Chair and San Diego City Councilmember, District 3. “MTS offers a reliable and affordable option that helps people keep money in their pockets. We want riders to know they have transportation choices that can make a real financial difference.”
To help riders understand potential savings when taking transit, MTS developed a Commute Cost Calculator. The online tool (also available in Spanish) allows commuters to compare the cost of driving alone versus taking transit. The calculator factors in information such as commuting miles, estimated miles per gallon, parking costs, number of days commuting and price per gallon of fuel.
With current fuel prices, commuters traveling as little as 5 miles each way can save more than $980 annually by switching from driving to transit. Savings grow significantly with longer commutes because the daily cost of driving increases. For example:
Commuters interested in skipping the pump and seeing how much they can save with transit can use the calculator at www.sdmts.com/commute.
Not only is riding transit cheaper than driving, but commuters can also save big on parking costs. MTS has more than 8,000 free parking spots at dozens of transit stations across the system. For a full list of parking locations, visit the Transit Station Parking webpage.