The BLET is backing efforts to place a funding measure on the November 2026 ballot that would help keep the trains rolling at Caltrain. Photo courtesy of Caltrain
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Commuter railroad Caltrain and other public transit agencies in the San Francisco Bay area are facing deep service cuts due to a budget shortfall. The BLET is backing an effort to put a funding measure on the November 2026 ballot that would raise additional state and local funding to support public transit and prevent service and job cuts.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed California SB 63 into law in October, which allows a ballot measure to be placed on the November 2026 election ballot (either through action by a newly formed Public Transit Revenue Measure District governed by the same board as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), or via a citizen’s initiative). It is expected that public transit advocates will launch a signature gathering campaign in January to get the ballot proposition on the ballot. The transit funding measure would benefit the counties that receive the bulk of the public transit service and could generate $1 billion annually.
About 70 members of BLET Division 65 in San Jose, Calif., work as locomotive engineers for Caltrain. “The BLET appreciates the efforts of California’s leaders to maintain reliable and sustainable passenger rail service through continued funding for Caltrain,” said Ryan Snow, Chairman of the BLET’s California State Legislative Board. “Investments in this corridor are vital not only for the San Francisco Peninsula and Silicon Valley but also for the broader statewide transportation network that connects communities, reduces congestion, and advances climate goals. Funding decisions made today will determine whether our passenger network remains strong, resilient, and worker-supported in the years to come.”
Caltrain’s budget crunch is similar to scenarios that are playing out at mass transit agencies in Chicago and Philadelphia. While the Illinois legislature approved a $1.5 billion spending measure in late October to avert a fiscal cliff, the Pennsylvania State Senate has failed to approve additional public transit funding, placing 53 mass transit agencies across the Commonwealth, including SEPTA, at risk of substantial service cuts. The BLET is continuing to work in Pennsylvania to secure the necessary funding.