Light Rail Service Restored in South Bay Area

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) will start running trains again today, two weeks after shutting down service.

1 minute read

April 9, 2020, 10:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

Sundry Photography / Shutterstock

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is restoring light rail service today,  "two weeks after the agency shut its trains down when an employee tested positive for coronavirus," according to an article by Nico Savidge.

"The South Bay transit agency abruptly suspended its three-line light rail system on the night of March 25, when officials learned that an operator trainee had a confirmed case of the deadly illness."

According to Savidge, VTA's decision to reopen light rail transit bucks a trend in the Bay Area, where for weeks the only stories have been about reduced service. The VTA cut bus service on Monday, April 6, of this week, for example. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (Muni) cut its light rail service the same week as the VTA cut light rail service, and Muni took further steps this week to drastically reduce the number of bus routes operating in San Francisco.

"Starting Thursday, light rail trains will arrive at stations every 30 minutes, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays only, VTA officials say."

Tuesday, April 7, 2020 in The Mercury News

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

: Construction of massive Samsung semiconductor fabrication plant

In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland

Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.

3 hours ago - Inside Climate News

A construction crew working on SunZia.

How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on

The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.

4 hours ago - Grist

A rendering of the basketball court, a green court under a blue sky.

MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court

The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.

5 hours ago - Gothamist