RendervsReality

Archive San Francisco, CA

Phase incomplete

Salesforce Transit Center (Transbay Transit Center)

425 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

The 2007 design paired a bus terminal with a train box for a future Caltrain and high-speed-rail extension. The terminal opened in 2018, briefly closed after cracks were found in beams supporting the bus deck, and reopened in 2019. The rail extension remains unbuilt, but a January 2026 federal commitment moved it beyond two-thirds funded and active engineering continued.

What got built

Current photograph of Salesforce Transit Center (Transbay Transit Center) in San Francisco.
Photograph by Fullmetal2887, 2018-08-17. Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.

This photograph was verified against the project and published with recorded first-party, public-domain, or reusable-license rights. How the visual evidence works.

What changed

  • The design selected September 20, 2007 included an underground train box for six tracks and three island platforms serving a future Caltrain extension and California high-speed rail.
  • The center opened August 12, 2018 serving buses, while the separately funded rail extension remained unbuilt.
  • The facility closed September 25, 2018 after cracks were found in steel beams supporting the bus deck, not the train box; buses resumed July 13, 2019 and the full building reopened August 11, 2019.
  • In January 2026, TJPA announced a $3.4 billion federal commitment for The Portal and said the project was more than two-thirds funded.
  • In February 2026, San Francisco County Transportation Authority materials documented a $12.5 million Proposition L allocation for engineering activities.
  • As of August 11, 2026, The Portal remained unbuilt but was in engineering, preconstruction and continuing funding development rather than awaiting any funding at all.

Why it changed

The bus-terminal and rail-extension phases followed separate funding paths. The terminal opened before the extension was built, but a January 2026 federal commitment brought The Portal to more than two-thirds funded and supported continued engineering and preconstruction work.

Details

Status
Partly delivered, still in design, or revised before construction.
Where
San Francisco, CA
Neighborhood
Transbay / South of Market
Developer
Transbay Joint Powers Authority, with Hines involved in the design competition
Architect
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, with Adamson Associates as executive architect
Rendering credit
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, for the Transbay Joint Powers Authority
The built result
Photographed by Fullmetal2887, 2018-08-17

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Salesforce Transit Center en.wikipedia.org
  2. TJPA: $3.4 billion federal commitment for The Portal (January 2026) tjpa.org
  3. SFCTA: February 2026 Portal funding and engineering presentation sfcta.org
  4. SFCTA: The Portal project page sfcta.org

Research checked . Status and figures are updated when a source changes.

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