Santa Clara Valley transit agency reopens Montague light-rail station

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) on Monday reopened its Montague Light-Rail Station in Milpitas, Calif.

The station had been closed for five months as crews reconstructed the main stairs to make way for a new escalator and pedestrian overpass that will connect to a future Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stop, according to a VTA press release.

Additionally, the Montague station's emergency exit stairs were reconstructed in anticipation of an increase in riders transferring from VTA's BART Berryessa Extension, which is slated to open in fall 2017.

The new escalator and pedestrian overcrossing will be completed at a later time during the extension project, which is now more than halfway completed, VTA officials said.

The Berryessa Extension will add 10 miles and two stations to BART's existing lines, and will run from Fremont, Calif., through Milpitas, and into Berryessa, Calif.

The line to Berryessa marks the first phase of the larger 16-mile BART Silicon Valley Extension Project.