Governor Signs SB 1375 Streamlining San Jose Diridon Station Hub as BART Silicon Valley Phase II Advances

Landmark Legislation Slashes Environmental Review Timeline for Diridon Station

SAN JOSE, California — Accelerating the transformation of the Silicon Valley's primary transportation hub into an international transit gateway, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1375 into law in October 2026. Authored by State Senator Dave Cortese, the measure grants a targeted California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption for the multi-agency Diridon Station Modernization project.

By streamlining review hurdles, the statute shaves approximately one full year off the project schedule. The planned complex will seamlessly unite BART, Caltrain electrification, Amtrak, ACE, and California High-Speed Rail under a unified multimodal canopy, accommodating hundreds of thousands of daily travelers across Northern California.

BART Silicon Valley Phase II Surpasses 3 Million Safe Work Hours

Concurrently, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) celebrated a vital workplace milestone as the BART Silicon Valley Phase II extension surpassed 3 million safe work hours. Heavy tunneling preparations remain concentrated at the West Portal and Newhall Yard launch structures, setting the stage for the massive tunnel boring machine to carve the five-mile underground route beneath downtown San Jose to Santa Clara.

The landmark transit project represents the largest single infrastructure investment in Santa Clara County's history, creating thousands of union construction jobs and securing sustainable zero-emission transit connectivity for the entire South Bay.

Berryessa Transit Center 195-Unit Affordable Housing Tower Rises

In transit-oriented community development, structural crews commenced crane and concrete foundation work on a 10-story, 195-unit 100 percent affordable housing tower located immediately adjacent to the Berryessa/North San José Transit Center. The residential project delivers deeply affordable homes for working families and seniors directly on rapid transit lines.

San Jose civic leaders noted that uniting landmark CEQA legislative relief, monumental BART tunneling progress, and dense affordable housing cements San Jose’s position as a sustainable capital of innovation.