Grade Separation FAQs

An at-grade crossing is an intersection of railroad tracks with roads and pedestrian/bicycle at the same street level. Vehicles and pedestrians are forced to stop at the crossing while a train travels through the intersection. At-grade crossings or train crossings have a significant risk of collisions between trains and any other road user (i.e., trucks, cars, bikes and pedestrians).

A grade separation is shifting/separating the grade of the train from the grade of the road. It allows for the safe movement of vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians under or over railroad tracks. Generally, these separations come in the form of either an underpass or an overpass structure (bridge). Grade separations eliminate the risks of collisions with trains, which enhances safety and boosts mobility.

An embankment is a mound of earth that is built to support a roadway or railroad over an area above the existing ground/terrain. The sides of the embankment can be sloped or they can be vertical if used in conjunction with retaining walls. The construction of an embankment allows for a change in elevation of the roadway or railroad, which is typically used in the approach to a grade separation.

Caltrain Electrification will electrify the Caltrain corridor from San Francisco to San Jose.

Approximately 75% of Caltrain’s diesel service will be replaced with electric service resulting in cleaner, greener, and better service to the Caltrain community and the communities along the corridor. To have more of your questions answered, visit the Caltrain Electrification FAQ. 

Since 2017, the City has explored 34 options (alternatives) for rail grade separation along the Caltrain corridor. Throughout this effort, comprehensive, citywide engagement was conducted to raise awareness about the challenges and needs associated. These alternatives have also been evaluated by the Community Advisory Panel, Extended Community Advisory Panel, Rail Committee, and City Council.

In June 2024, the City Council identified the Partial Underpass alternative as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for the Churchill Avenue crossing, with a bicycle and pedestrian crossing at Seale Avenue with the Closure alternative designated as a backup. The Hybrid and Underpass alternatives remain under consideration for the Meadow Drive and Charleston Road crossings.

The City Council adopted the following criterion as guidelines to select a preferred solution.

1. East-West connectivity – Facilitate movement and connectedness across the corridor for all modes of transportation
2. Traffic congestion – Reduce automobile delay and congestion for automobile traffic at rail crossings to consider corridor travel times and to reduce traffic inducement
3. Pedestrian / bicycle circulation – Provide clear and safe routes for pedestrians and bicyclists seeking to cross the rail corridor, separate from automobile traffic through and after grade separation construction
4. Rail operations – Support continued rail operations and Caltrain service improvements
5. Cost – Consider Project Cost including Utility Relocation, Long Term Maintenance, and Financing of the project with feasible funding sources.
6. Cost Private Property Impacts – Minimize right-of-way acquisition
7. Environmental impacts – Review Sustainability, Sea Level Rise impacts, and Reduce rail noise and vibration along the corridor
8. Local access – Maintain or improve access to neighborhoods, parks, schools and other destinations along the corridor while reducing regional traffic on neighborhood streets
9. Visual impacts – Consider visual and privacy changes along the rail corridor
10. Construction – Minimize disruption and the duration of construction

The City’s goal is to minimize the need for property acquisition, per the City Council adopted criteria. The environmental and preliminary engineering phases of the project will identify any impacts and mitigation measures, including the need for any right-of-way to construct the project.

There are currently a number of uncertainties regarding the timeline for implementing High-Speed Rail. The California High-Speed Rail Authority approved an Environmental Clearance document outlining plans to extend service through the Peninsula to San Francisco. The Peninsula Corridor Joint Power Board, which owns and operates Caltrain, holds the rights to operate and maintain the rail corridor. Caltrain and City staff actively coordinate to ensure that the proposed designs account for and accommodate potential future needs.

Large infrastructure projects, like grade separations, typically depend on state and federal funding. However, the City secured some dedicated local funding through the 2016 Measure B Grade Separation Program and Palo Alto’s Measure K funds, which can be applied toward these efforts.

Additionally, the City received federal grants from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) through the Rail Crossing Elimination Program to support preliminary engineering and environmental work for the Churchill, Meadow, and Charleston crossings. The State of California also awarded funding for the final design phase of these projects.

To fully fund and complete the grade separation projects, the City will continue to pursue additional funding from a range of state, federal, and regional grant programs, building on the secured resources already in place.

These large infrastructure projects will involve a complex, multi-phase process that requires extensive planning, design, and coordination, and typically include detailed engineering, relocation of utilities, securing and providing access to necessary rights-of-way, and obtaining permits and approvals from various regional, state, and federal agencies. Each of these steps is time-intensive and often depends on external reviews and authorizations, which can introduce additional delays.

For the Churchill, Meadow, and Charleston grade separation projects, as of July 2025 the City is in the Preliminary Engineering phase, with Caltrain leading the phase. This phase includes technical design development, environmental analysis, and coordination with stakeholders, and is expected to be complete by the end of 2027.

Following Preliminary Engineering, the project will move into the next stages of work, which includes Final Design and utility relocation, involving more detailed engineering plans, additional agency coordination, and preparation for construction. The timeline and cost of Final Design will be influenced by the specific Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) selected for each crossing, as different alternatives may require varying levels of design complexity and construction effort.

Depending on the availability of funding and the timing of regulatory approvals, the Final Design phase is anticipated to begin in 2028. The City will continue to refine the project schedule and update the anticipated construction timeline as key milestones are achieved and additional information becomes available.