BART from Fremont to Warm Springs and San Jose

[lpetrich]

BART extension to San Jose on track, but new cars delayed - San Francisco Chronicle

Construction of BART’s next extension into Silicon Valley is on track to be completed by the end of the year, but the transit system may not have enough rail cars to fully serve the two new stations it will serve.

...
Meanwhile, work on the 10-mile, two-station extension from the newly opened Warm Springs/South Fremont station to the Berryessa neighborhood of San Jose is at least three months ahead of schedule. Work is 94 percent complete on the extension that was originally expected to open in spring 2018, said Stacey Hendler Ross, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.

Most of the article was about the difficulties with the new BART railcars, including the possibility that there may not be enough for the Berryessa extension when it opens.

[lpetrich]

Milpitas BART Station to open in December, VTA says – East Bay Times Test trains are to start running this summer.

[lpetrich]

Warning: BART tracks from San Jose to Fremont electrified -- the entire line.

No word on test trains running on it yet.

[lpetrich]

The Final Stretch - BART Silicon Valley Extension Phase I:

1. Station Construction: Complete landscaping, station interiors and exteriors
2. Static Testing: Perform all communications, track and signal tests
3. Dynamic Testing: Test train movements along 10-mile extension
4. Integration Testing: Integrate 10-mile extension with the existing BART system
5. Safety Certification: Certify the safety and reliability of the integrated 10-mile extension
6. Passenger Service!

Major Decisions about BART Silicon Valley Extension Phase II on the Horizon:

• Single-bore vs. twin-bore tunneling
• Station locations

[lpetrich]

Take a look at the new Milpitas BART station
The Berryessa extension is now set to open next summer.

Part of the adjustment in schedule stems from a change in how the new Warm Springs BART station operates. It needs to be converted from an end-of-line station to a pass-through operation.

BART spokesman Jim Allison said the trains need to be able to operate autonomously to maintain a schedule, and right now they’re set to start and stop their runs in Warm Springs.

“Adding 10 miles means the train control operations must be changed,” Allison said. “It involves verifying all the logic for the train controls.”

[lpetrich]

Panel favors two-tunnel option for San Jose BART project, VTA needs three more months to work on San Jose BART tunnel plan -- a big single-bore tunnel for both tracks instead of one bore for each track, the more common option.

[lpetrich]

BART to Milpitas on schedule for June opening, VTA says
But is it?
BART to VTA: Hold my trains in Milpitas

Dynamic testing refers to tests involving trains running on the tracks, as opposed to static testing, which involves non-moving operations.

“So that has not started,” Mitroff said, according to a video of the meeting posted on BART’s website. “That handoff is supposed to take place in March. So if the six-month period goes its entire course, it’s obvious that the June date will not be met.” (March plus six months equals, well, September.)

VTA spokeswoman Brandi Childress had said Tuesday that the agency wouldn’t hand over controls to BART for testing until March or so.

That's Robert Mitroff, BART’s chief planning and development officer.

[lensovet]

wouldn't be the first time that VTA has tried to make itself look good by claiming an earlier-than-expected opening date. no idea why they are doing this to themselves — just wait until the date is really locked in and claim victory at that time.

[lpetrich]

BART: Berryessa, Milpitas stations may not open until 2019

VTA officials boasted last year that they were ahead of schedule and planned to open the two stations in December 2017, but testing delays pushed that date back to the originally planned June 2018 opening. Then, earlier this year, VTA officials said they needed a little more time before handing off the new stations and trackway to BART for testing. They’re now saying the opening looks closer to January or even March next year.

It all depends on how long it takes BART to complete its phase of the testing and how much time the two agencies can recover by overlapping some work that had been planned in phases, Ratcliffe said. The VTA had expected to transfer its facilities to BART April 1 but is now projecting it won’t be able to hand over the reins until the end of June. And BART needs six to eight months of testing before the station doors open, he said.

Seems like Warm Springs all over again.

[lpetrich]

San Jose BART extension wins $730 million grant – East Bay Times from California. But if some tax and fee increases are repealed this November, than that funding will be gone. BART is also looking for Federal funding.

BART to San Jose: Board approves revolutionary single-tunnel option for expansion – East Bay Times -- using a single bore for both tracks. The two tracks will be stacked vertically, one going above the other. VTA had proposed it, while BART officials preferred the typical twin-bore approach. Using this approach will mean less disruption of city streets, while it will make it difficult for trains to change tracks.

[lpetrich]

Get Informed about VTA’s BART Phase II Extension - YouTube

The single bore would have a diameter of 45 feet, and the tracks would be side-by-side between stations and stacked in stations. Stacking the tracks lets the station platforms be inside the tunnel bore, meaning less excavation outside of it.

Frequency of BART Train Testing Intensifies -- including noise mitigation measures like soundwalls and triple-pane windows.

VTA Kicks Off TOD Study for BART Phase II -- Transit-Oriented Development is for making good use of spots where large numbers of people may be coming and going.

Critical State Funds Come Through for BART to Downtown San Jose -- this summer, a request will be made for $1.5 billion in Federal funding.

BART to Berryessa, Milpitas may not happen until late 2019 – East Bay Times -- March 2019 may be too optimistic. They are now expecting something like September 2019.

[lpetrich]

VTA Receives Federal Record of Decision for BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Project

VTA was notified today by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) that a Record of Decision (ROD) has been issued for the next six miles of VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Extension into downtown San Jose and Santa Clara (Phase II). Receiving the ROD is a required next step for projects seeking federal funding, making this a critical milestone. It signifies that VTA satisfied the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the $4.7 billion project.

Linking to VTA BART Silicon Valley - 2018 Record of Decision: 6-mile BART Phase II Project

I looked in "What's New?" at VTA's BART Silicon Valley Extension - Home

[lpetrich]

BART to San Jose delayed again, parts mistake adds year to Berryessa service

BART to San Jose could be delayed again to the end of next year, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority said, after the agency found a contractor had installed improper communications equipment that needs to be replaced.

...
The latest problem involved routers and other equipment related to communications systems that control things like passenger information signs, next-train signals, public address systems, closed-circuit television, radio, fire alarms and secure door access badges, VTA spokeswoman Bernice Alaniz said.

On June 12, Childress said, VTA was told that some of the networking equipment installed to date “does not comply with contract requirements and must be replaced.” Replacement equipment has been ordered and some already delivered.

They are now shooting for opening in September 2019, but that date could slip to December of that year.

[lensovet]

Classic.

The worst is that people will claim that this somehow shows incompetence on the part of government agencies, when it was private contractors who couldn't properly deliver on a contract that they signed.

[lpetrich]

VTA’s BART Berryessa Extension Update

On June 12, VTA was informed by its contractor that some of the networking equipment installed to date does not comply with contract requirements and must be replaced. This networking equipment includes hundreds of data control devices, generally referred to as switches or routers. After receiving this information, VTA immediately conducted a security assessment to determine the full nature and extent of the problem identified in June. From this effort, it was determined that approximately 1,100 devices will have to be replaced and retested.

They expect to do that over the last months of 2018. The article states that BART had a similar problem with eBART to Antioch, with 125 parts that had to be replaced.


Field Work Begins to Advance Design on VTA’s BART Phase II Project

In preparation for the construction of VTA’s six-mile BART extension into downtown San Jose and Santa Clara, VTA will begin to gather information about the geological conditions and locations of utilities in the path of the future project.