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2 Planned South Bay BART Stations Could Vanish Under Revised Plan

SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) - Plans to add four new stations to the Bay Area Rapid Transit system may get scaled back as part of a cost-cutting revision to the South Bay extension.

Two out of the four planned BART stations in the San Jose-Santa Clara area are on the chopping block.

Both the 28th Street location near Highway 101 in San Jose and the stop near Santa Clara University could be eliminated. Both the downtown station and the stop near the SAP Center in San Jose would still be built under the revised proposal.

The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) said that by cutting $1.3 billion from the original plan they would be in a better position to secure federal funds for the project, but Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews said cutting a station in his city just doesn't make sense.

"Santa Clara is the only direct connection to Mineta International Airport. Santa Clara is never something that should be value engineered out because let's face it; it provides the biggest bang for the buck," Matthews said.

VTA Chairman and San Jose City Councilman Ash Kalra said there are no plans to eliminate the two stations, only a "staff report" that has not been endorsed by the full board.

"That in no way causes me to waver in terms of having a four-station plan, which is ultimately the plan we committed to," he said.

Kalra notes there are other sources of funding besides Washington; including local tax measures and new cap and trade funding from the state.

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