Dallas-based engineer Aecom is to programme manage work on the Portal, an extension of San Francisco’s Caltrain service. This will include the construction of a station and a 2.1km section of tunnel to be built using the cut-and-cover and mined tunnelling methods.
Aecom will also oversee the design and build of the Fourth and Townsend Street station, along with the Salesforce Transit Centre’s basement levels, utility relocation, and track and systems work. It will also finalise the procurement plan for the tunnel, help to obtain Federal Transit Administration funding and integrate the Portal with existing rail systems.
The cost of the rail line increased to $8.2bn in October 2023, according to the San Francisco Standard.
Mark Southwell, Aecom’s chief executive of transport, said: “Our world class tunnelling capabilities and fully integrated service offerings address all aspects of large-scale tunnel projects, making us well positioned to deliver this crucial work that will serve as a lynchpin for the region’s long-term transit needs.”
When complete, the Portal will connect 11 transit systems from the Bay Area and Southern California.
The extension is the second phase of the Transbay Programme, overseen by the Transbay Joint Powers Authority. The first phase replaced the former Transbay Terminal in downtown San Francisco with the Salesforce Transit Centre.
