Caltrain completed Grade Crossing Improvement Projects at five locations in Menlo Park and San Mateo. This effort to improve public safety and prevent strikes began in May 2019.
The project included more clearly marked pedestrian crossings with new paint striping and lettering, pavement markers, and the installation of a fixed median with flexible bollards. The improvements were made at 1st, 2nd and 3rd Avenues in San Mateo and Glenwood and Oak Grove Avenues in Menlo Park.
The project cost $1.4 million, with $1 million coming from State Transit Assistance funds. The remainder of the funding came from Caltrain’s Capital budget.
Coincidentally, this project was completed during Rail Safety Month. For the last 17 years, Caltrain has planned or participated in an annual rail safety event in conjunction with Operation Lifesaver, an international model program for rail safety. Caltrain addresses safety through a comprehensive, ongoing program that focuses on the “Three E’s” of railroad safety – Education, Engineering and Enforcement. Improving and separating grade crossings are a major part of the Engineering focus, as studies have shown that reducing access to train tracks is the most effective way of preventing strikes.
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About Caltrain: Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with commute service to Gilroy. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad celebrated 150 years of continuous passenger service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the corridor, reduce diesel emissions by 97 percent by 2040 and add more service to more stations.
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