The Bayshore Cutoff (originally the Southern Pacific Bay Shore Cut-Off)[1] is the rail line between San Francisco and San Bruno along the eastern shore (San Francisco Bay side) of the San Francisco Peninsula. It was completed by Southern Pacific (SP) in 1907 at a cost of $7 million, and included a series of five tunnels, four of which are still used daily by Caltrain, the successor to Southern Pacific's Peninsula Commute service. Fill excavated from the five tunnels was used to build the Visitacion or Bayshore Railyard, the main SP classification yard near the city of Brisbane.
Quick Facts Bayshore Cutoff, Overview ...
Bayshore Cutoff |
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Other name(s) | Bay Shore Cut-Off |
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Status | Revenue service |
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Owner | Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board |
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Locale | San Francisco and northern San Mateo counties |
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Termini | |
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Stations | 7 (2 closed) |
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Type | Commuter rail, heavy rail |
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System | SP (Coast Line, Peninsula Commute; 1863-1992) Caltrain and Union Pacific (1992-present) |
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Commenced | October 26, 1904 (1904-10-26) |
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Completed | December 8, 1907 (1907-12-08) |
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Line length | 11.04 mi (17.77 km) |
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Number of tracks | 2 (4 in Brisbane after CTX) |
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Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
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Electrification | planned, 25kV AC |
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Operating speed | 79 mph (127 km/h) |
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Highest elevation | 20.3 ft (6.2 m) |
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Southern Pacific Railroad Bayshore Roundhouse | |
| Roundhouse in 2009 | Coordinates | 37°42′03″N 122°24′31″W |
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Built | 1910; 114 years ago (1910) |
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NRHP reference No. | 10000113[2] |
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Added to NRHP | March 26, 2010 |
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Peninsula Commute |
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Legend |
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Distance from SF via Bayshore Cutoff | Distance from SF via Coast Route | |
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completed routes |
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abandoned or removed routes |
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stations |
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The original alignment of the Coast Line completed in 1863 took it around the western side of San Bruno Mountain, through the cities of Colma and Daly City. Rail traffic along the original route was forced to use helper engines to traverse heavy grades and sharp curves along a indirect route nearly 13 miles (21 km) long. The Bayshore Cutoff reduced the distance to 10.5 miles (16.9 km) with a maximum grade of 0.3 percent.
Once the Bayshore Cutoff was completed, and mainline traffic was shifted to it, the former route was renamed the Ocean View line and relegated to branch status. It was used primarily to carry coffins to Colma before it was abandoned in the 1940s. In the late 1980s, BART purchased the right-of-way of the abandoned Ocean View line to use for the San Francisco International Airport extension south from Daly City.
One tunnel on the Bayshore Cutoff was abandoned when the line was rerouted east to accommodate the Bayshore Freeway in the 1950s. The rail yard was in operation until the 1970s, and the site is currently being considered for redevelopment for light industrial/retail use as part of the Brisbane Baylands development project.