San Francisco Transbay Terminal

San Francisco Transbay Terminal or simply Transbay Terminal, is a transportation complex in San Francisco, California which is located roughly in the center of the rectangle bounded north-south by Mission Street and Howard Street, and east-west by Beale Street and Second Street. Currently, it serves long distance buses and transbay buses from San Francisco north to Marin County and east to the East Bay. Its largest tenants, in addition to San Francisco's own Muni, are Golden Gate Transit, AC Transit, and Greyhound Bus Lines.

Key System

Transbay Terminal was originally built also as the San Francisco terminus for light electric rail service over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Light rail trains ran across the bay to the Transbay Terminal until 1958, when Key System service stopped. To learn more about the Key System, visit the Oakland Berkeley & Eastern (http://rail.blu-streak.com).

Transbay Terminal Replacement Project

The City and County of San Francisco, the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District(AC Transit), and the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board(Caltrain) have proposed a plan to replace the current underutilized and outdated building with an entirly new and a more functional building at roughly the same location. In addition to maintaining the current bus services, this proposed terminal would also include an underground tunnel that would extend the Caltrain commuter rail line from its current terminus at Fourth and Townsend Streets to the new Transbay Terminal. If this tunnel were to be built, Caltrain riders would not need to transfer to Muni in order to reach the downtown financial district. Additionally, the heavy rail portion of the terminal would be designed to accommodate the planned High Speed Rail from Los Angeles via the Caltrain line.

Many observers have noted that, with the Transbay Terminal replacement project, the new terminal could potentially become the Grand Central Terminal of the West Coast. As of 2005, this project has published its final EIR and is in the process of designing and securing the required funds. Should the funding be secured, the new Transbay Terminal is currently scheduled to open in 2012.

Links

• Transbay Terminal Replacement Project Official Site