Plans to extend BART service to downtown San Jose and Silicon Valley got a shot in the arm Wednesday when officials announced the project had received a $125 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration.
The money will partially cover a 6.5-mile extension of the train line and construction of four new stations from San Jose to Santa Clara. Officials must still come up with 75% of the total cost before they can tap into the grant.
The federal grant program will expedite the funding process of the next phase of BART construction by the Valley Transportation Authority, which has built soon-to-open BART stations in Milpitas and Berryessa, in North San Jose.
Officials said it will speed up the review by more than 14 months.
The expanded BART route will carry 52,000 more riders every weekday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.