Caltrain announces major construction funding as Burlingame and Sunnyvale prepare for safer railroad crossings
San Mateo, California – More than 30,000 vehicles cross the Caltrain tracks at Broadway in Burlingame each day. A new $90 million federal construction grant brings the effort to separate road traffic from trains closer to breaking ground.
Farther south, Sunnyvale is receiving up to $15.5 million to finish designing a crossing beneath the tracks at Mary Avenue. Together, the awards bring more than $100 million in federal investment to two busy crossings along the Caltrain corridor.
The Federal Railroad Administration selected both corridor projects that applied in this round of its Railroad Crossing Elimination program. The awards follow the Caltrain board’s June 2026 adoption of the Corridor Crossing Strategy, which helps coordinate crossing projects throughout the corridor.
“Every day, tens of thousands of people cross Caltrain tracks, and these projects will make crossings safer for drivers, transit users, pedestrians, and the public alike,” said U.S. Senator Alex Padilla.
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Broadway ranks as California’s top-priority grade separation, according to the California Public Utilities Commission. Caltrain sought the construction funding with the San Mateo County Transportation Authority and the city of Burlingame.
The $90 million award secures a critical part of the project’s financing and keeps it moving toward construction. Site preparation, utility relocation and other early work are expected to begin in May 2027, with construction expected to finish in January 2032.
Partners will also continue seeking money for additional pedestrian and bicycle circulation improvements, coordinating that work with the larger project.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin said the grant builds on $3 million in federal Community Project Funding he secured earlier this year for the Broadway project.
In Sunnyvale, the federal award will support final design of the Mary Avenue Grade Separation, with a 21 percent local match. Plans call for lowering Mary Avenue beneath the tracks, eliminating one of the city’s busiest crossings where road and rail traffic meet at the same level.
“Grade separations take years of planning before the first shovel hits the ground, and this federal investment gives Sunnyvale the head start it needs,” said Rep. Ro Khanna.
While those projects advance, Caltrain is continuing other crossing safety work across the corridor. Measures include medians, pavement markings, channelization and quad gates, providing improvements at existing crossings as the longer process of designing and building grade separations continues.
