Caltrain crossings
What's happening with the rail-crossing projects in Menlo Park.
Menlo Park's east-west connectivity has been limited for decades by the Caltrain tracks. Three projects address different parts of the problem: getting people across safely on foot and by bike (Middle Avenue), separating cars from trains long-term (Grade Separation), and reducing train-horn noise for residents near the tracks (Quiet Zone).
Middle Avenue Caltrain Crossing
Getting people across the tracks safely on foot and by bike — a pedestrian and bicycle undercrossing at Middle Avenue.
- Status
- Design at ~65%, scheduled to be bid-ready in 2027 (April 28, 2026 Council action).
- Total cost
- $56–65M range, construction phase ~$46M (June 8, 2026 Planning Commission staff report).
- Funding
- ~$16.79M currently available in City + grant funding; ~$9M federal earmark and OBAG-3 in transfer to Caltrain; Stanford contingent $6.34M; SS4A grant pending ($2.5–25M).
- Deadline
- November 9, 2027 — Stanford Development Agreement Substantial Crossing Progress deadline.
Caltrain Grade Separation
Separating cars from trains for the long term — a study of grade separation along the corridor.
- Status
- Planning phase; $1.5M SMCTA grant.
- Funding
- The FY 2026-31 Proposed CIP includes $2M for the project in FY 2030-31.
- Plan change
- The FY 2025-30 Adopted plan had $19,630,376; the FY 2026-31 Proposed plan has $2,000,000 — a $17,630,376 reduction. Reason has not been independently verified.
Caltrain Quiet Zone
Reducing train-horn noise for residents near the tracks — a Quiet Zone along the Menlo Park crossings.
- Status
- ~$815K spent on design through FY 2023-27 per published spending. Per the City webpage, staff is “exploring potential funding sources to support implementation.”
- Funding
- Per the 2023 Implementation Plan, the multi-million-dollar build cost (likely $4–6M) is not in the five-year plan.
- September 1, 2026 — Year-end review of prior fiscal year (start) · July-September: staff conduct year-end review of FY 2025-26 actuals.
- December 31, 2026 — Continued budget monitoring window · October-December: ongoing budget monitoring and planning for next cycle.
- January 15, 2027 — Base operating budget updated · December-January: staff update the base operating budget for the next cycle.
- February 1, 2027 — Mid-year budget review · January-February: Council receives mid-year review and may amend the current adopted budget.
Points of confusion still to clarify
These are observations from the published record — things that are unresolved or don't yet line up. They are starting points for understanding, not scripts.
- The remaining ~$4.4 million of Middle Avenue design funding is required to advance the project to 100% Council-approved status before the November 9, 2027 deadline. The June 9 budget materials do not include the CIP plan that staff said on April 28 they would bring for Transportation Impact Fee reallocation.
- The FY 2026-31 Proposed CIP shows $830,000 of expense for Middle Avenue across the entire five-year window. The June 8 Planning Commission staff report describes roughly $25 million of project activity currently in motion. The grant-funded portion of that activity does not appear as expense or revenue line items in the published five-year plan.
- The Caltrain Grade Separation Study lost $17,630,376 of envelope between the FY 2025-30 Adopted plan and the FY 2026-31 Proposed plan, with most of the planned five-year spending pushed to FY 2030-31 only.
- The Quiet Zone implementation cost is not in the five-year plan, despite a multi-million-dollar estimated build cost.
Every claim on this page traces to a specific staff report or Council record:
- City of Menlo Park FY 2026-27 budget staff report to City Council, June 9, 2026 (Staff Report #26-103-CC).
- Planning Commission staff report on the Stanford Development Agreement, June 8, 2026 (Staff Report #26-024-PC).
- City Council action authorizing the $1M Caltrain MOU amendment, April 28, 2026 (Item H3).
- FY 2025-30 Adopted and FY 2026-31 Proposed 5-Year CIP detail exports (OpenGov).