PROJECT OVERVIEW

Valley Link is a new 42-mile, passenger rail service connecting the over 105,000 Bay Area workers traveling daily over the Altamont Pass from their homes in the Northern San Joaquin Valley with fast, frequent, zero-emission service – providing a transit alternative to the highly congested Interstate 580 corridor and bringing new riders to the broader Bay Area transit system. Phase 1 is a 22-mile initial operating phase between Dublin/Pleasanton and a new Mountain House Community station with additional stations at Isabel Avenue and Southfront Road. It will provide all-day, bi-directional service at 15-minute frequencies during peak commute periods with 45-minute frequencies at other times and is projected to carry 30,000 riders each day by 2040. Details regarding environmental review and design on this phase can be found at www.getvalleylinked.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​
 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​​

Fig.1: Valley Link Alignment - 2024 CEQA/2025 NEPA Certified Phase 1

​

​

PROPOSED PHASE 1 CONSTRUCTION  

The Phase 1 project is proposed for construction in two 11-mile phases:

​

• Phase 1A: Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station to Vasco Road ACE Station in Livermore

• Phase 1B: Southfront Road Station in Livermore to the Mountain House Community Station (Funding to be determined)

 

Phase 1A is targeted for completion in 2032 with the schedule for future project phases contingent on future funding.​​​​

​

​​​

KEY FEATURES - PHASE 1A to VASCO

The Phase 1A alignment will be constructed within the I-580 median from the Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station to just east of the First Street overcrossing in Livermore where it will branch south via a new fly over out of the median and extend approximately two-miles to a connection with the Vasco Road ACE Station platform. It will include three new stations, a new Operations and Maintenance Facility and battery-electric vehicles and charging facilities as described below.

​

• Dublin/Pleasanton Station Connection to BART
  An intermodal aerial station south of eastbound I-580 freeway lanes in proximity to existing Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station.

• Isabel Station
  Located within the City of Livermore Isabel Neighborhood Specific Plan in the I-580 median with adjacent parking on a 24-acre site along East Airway Boulevard south of I-580 and east of the Isabel Avenue/I-580 interchange.

• Vasco Road Station ACE Platform Interface
  New parallel platform enabling cross-platform transfers with the existing ACE service in Livermore within the Brisa Neighborhood Plan.

• Livermore Operations and Maintenance Facility (LOMF)
  Located in the southeastern portion of a 13.75-acre ± site at the end of Brisa Street, bordered by Las Positas Road and the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) tracks. Facilities will include administrative, maintenance and operations services for Valley Link

• Battery-Electric Train Technology
  Phase 1A will use zero-emission multiple unit vehicles (i.e., battery-electric vehicles). Charging infrastructure and supporting substation facilities to be installed at both station ends (Dublin/Pleasanton Station and Vasco Road Station) as well as at the Livermore OMF.​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​​​

 

 

Fig.2: Valley Link Alignment - Phase 1A​

SUMMARY OF PROJECT BENEFITS

Valley Link has been developed in partnership with its 15-member agencies to be responsive to the goals and objectives of the communities it will serve and meets an urgent need to:

 

Connect Housing, People and Jobs

Connects the Megaregion’s workforce to affordable housing. More than 105,000 Bay Area workers living in San Joaquin County commute daily through the Altamont in their cars.

Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 32,220 to 42,650 metric tons by 2040.

Serve Disadvantaged and Low-Income Communities and Households
Promotes equity by serving four stations within areas designated as disadvantaged or within or near low-income communities in Northern San Joaquin County.

Create New Jobs and Promote Economic Recovery
Provides an estimated 22,000 jobs during construction.  When operational will support 400 jobs per year with labor income of over $19 million per year and $69 million in business sales annually.

 

PROJECT GOALS

• Improve connectivity within the Northern California Megaregion: connecting housing, people, and jobs.

• Rail connectivity between the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District’s rapid transit system and the Altamont Corridor Express commuter service.

• Project implementation that is fast, cost-effective and responsive to the goals and objectives of the communities it will serve.

• Be a model of sustainability in the design, construction and operation of the system.

• Support the vision of the California State Rail Plan to connect the Northern California Megaregion to the State rail system.

​​

PHASE 1A PROJECT SCHEDULE

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

​

Fig.3: Valley Link -PHASE 1A PROJECT SCHEDULE