Feds Fund Two Caltrain Grade Separations

Federal grants target crossings in Burlingame and Sunnyvale to reduce road-rail conflicts along the Caltrain corridor.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Transportation

Wide photograph of a raised rail embankment with steel tracks crossing a flat suburban corridor under overcast daylight. — The Federal Railroad Administration awarded more than $100 million for two Caltrain grade-separation projects, including $90 million for Broadway in Burlingame. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Federal Railroad Administration awarded more than $100 million for two Caltrain grade-separation projects, including $90 million in construction funding for Broadway in Burlingame. The city of Sunnyvale also secured up to $15.5 million for final design of the Mary Avenue grade separation.

Why it matters

The Broadway crossing was ranked the state's top-priority grade separation by the California Public Utilities Commission. More than 30,000 vehicles cross the tracks there daily, making the project a key safety and traffic priority for the region.

The federal grants total more than $100 million across the two projects, with $90 million earmarked for Broadway construction and up to $15.5 million for Mary Avenue final design. Sunnyvale will fund a 21% local match for its project, and the full cost of each crossing remains unstated in the source.

The players

Federal Railroad Administration

The federal agency that awarded the Railroad Crossing Elimination grants for both projects.

Caltrain

The commuter rail service owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, running from San Francisco to San Jose with commuter service to Gilroy.

San Mateo County Transportation Authority

The county transportation agency that partnered with Caltrain and Burlingame on the Broadway grant application.

The details

Caltrain, the San Mateo County Transportation Authority and the city of Burlingame applied for the Broadway grant through the Railroad Crossing Elimination program. Sunnyvale applied directly to the Federal Railroad Administration for Mary Avenue design funding, which will lower the roadway beneath the Caltrain tracks.

May 2027: Site preparation, utility relocation and early construction work on Broadway are expected to begin.
January 2032: Broadway grade-separation construction is expected to be complete.

Transportation Outlook

These awards are funded through the Federal Railroad Administration's Railroad Crossing Elimination grant program, which directs federal money toward removing dangerous road-rail crossings. The Broadway and Mary Avenue projects apply that program to the Caltrain corridor on the Peninsula, where grade separations have long been a state priority.

Drivers who cross the Broadway tracks in Burlingame, which carry more than 30,000 vehicles daily, can expect construction disruption beginning in 2027 before the crossing is grade-separated. Sunnyvale residents near Mary Avenue will see the roadway lowered beneath the Caltrain tracks once that project advances past design.

The takeaway

Grade separations remove the conflict between vehicles and trains at the crossing itself, which is why the state ranks them as priorities. Commuters on the Peninsula should expect construction phases in both cities over the coming years.