Caltrain may slash over one-third of its stations

If Bay Area voters decline two transit tax measures in November, it will trigger service cuts across Bay Area transit service agencies and potentially double rush hour traffic delays on the Bay Bridge, according to the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, which supports the measures. 

“Bay Area transit agencies have contingency plans for service cuts if they cannot secure additional funding for 2027 and beyond. Under those plans, BART could close up to 15 stations and end service at 9 p.m. each night. AC Transit would seek to preserve coverage for low-income areas, but even then the agency would lay off more than 200 workers and cut hours. Caltrain could close more than one-third of its stations,” Chase Hunter writes for the Mercury News. 

The Regional Transit Measure would hike the sales tax for 14 years by “half a cent per dollar in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and by one cent per dollar in San Francisco. It is projected to raise roughly $980 million annually to help preserve transit service and fund other local transportation needs and improvements for riders,” the Mercury News Reports. The other measure is a parcel tax estimated to generate $170 million per year.