Rail Grade Separation Alternatives Selected to Advance

Published on January 21, 2026

In mid-December the Palo Alto City Council reached key milestones for the City’s Grade Separation Project at Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, and Charleston Road, a collaborative effort by the City and Caltrain. Council selected preferred alternatives for each crossing to advance into 15 percent design, which includes development of refined cost estimates, constructability evaluations, and technical environmental analyses.

This action is a significant step forward allowing the project team to narrow the design focus, refine technical details, and begin preparing documentation required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

A new update shares recent actions in December by the Council advancing work to 15% design of preliminary engineering and what’s planned next.

Read the Full Update Here