Transit Planning Remains A Top Priority As Levi's Stadium In Santa Clara Prepares To Open
SANTA CLARA (KCBS) – As the new home of the San Francisco 49ers, Levi's Stadium, will open later this year, one of the main priorities is finalizing a transit plan for fans to get to-and from the venue.
Santa Clara County transit officials said they expect as many as 25-percent of fans that go to Levi's Stadium for 49ers games and other events to take public transit.
Valley Transportation Authority Deputy Director Jim Unites said since Caltrain does not service the stadium directly, one goal is to get fans easily from the trains to light rail.
"We're working with Caltrain on a joint pass, we're looking at a mobile app where you can pay for your transit fare on your smartphone," he said.
As the stadium gets set to host its first event in August, Unites said flexibility will be an important part of the process.
"We know that whatever we do for game one is not necessarily what we're going to do for game two," said Unites. "People are going to use our system in ways we hadn't anticipated. They're going to drive the first game and try transit the second game, or vice versa."
VTA operates as many as 57 light rail cars on a typical weekday. But for 49ers games, the transit agency plans to increase that number to at least 80.
They are already working on a number of stadium access improvements, including queuing areas, fencing and a new platform at the Great America station.
The VTA is also looking at the possibility of making revisions to the schedule for other transit agencies, such as Capital Corridor and Altamont Corridor Express trains.
The first scheduled event at Levi's Stadium is a soccer match between the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders on August 2.
The first San Francisco 49ers exhibition game at Levi's Stadium will be held sometime between August 14-18, as the NFL announced on Wednesday they will host the Denver Broncos.