Photo above: City of Hercules 2018 rendering of the proposed Hercules Regional Intermodal Transit Center (not funded for construction). City of Hercules (public domain), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
No opening date has been announced for either one. The City of Hercules is still raising money to finish designing the Hercules Hub train station, and ferry service to Hercules is a long-range idea, not a scheduled route.
If someone tells you “the train is coming next year,” ask them for the source. Here’s what the official record actually says.
What is the Hercules Hub?
It’s the city’s plan for a Capitol Corridor train stop on the Hercules waterfront, on Bayfront Boulevard, tied to bus routes, bike and walking paths, and a future ferry (City of Hercules, The Hercules Hub Project page, checked September 24, 2026). Today there is no Hercules stop. On Capitol Corridor’s own station list, Richmond and Martinez are the stops on either side of Hercules (Capitol Corridor stations page, checked September 24, 2026).
Is there an opening date for the train station?
No. The city’s project page lists the contractor as “TBD” and gives no construction or opening date. Its newest update, from February 2026, says the city applied for $21.7 million from the Federal Railroad Administration to pay for project development and final design, not construction (City of Hercules, Hercules Hub Project page, checked September 24, 2026).
Design comes before building. So the train is still a funding and design project.
How much money does the Hub still need?
A lot. A February 10, 2026 city staff report says about $46 million in related work is already done, including the John Muir Parkway and Bayfront Boulevard extensions and Bay Trail gap closures. The same report says an estimated $130 million more is needed to build the rail work for a Capitol Corridor station (City of Hercules, City Council staff report, February 10, 2026).
Grants the city lists so far are smaller pieces: a $2.4 million state TIRCP grant awarded in October 2023, $800,000 from the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee in October 2023, and an $850,000 federal earmark from Congressman Garamendi’s office in March 2024 (City of Hercules, Hercules Hub Project page, checked September 24, 2026).
Did Hercules get the federal rail grant?
Not in this round. The Federal Railroad Administration posted its National Railroad Partnership Program selections on August 14, 2026: 41 projects chosen out of 103 applications. Hercules is not on that list (FRA, FY 2024-2026 National Railroad Partnership Program Project Selections, August 14, 2026, checked September 24, 2026). The city’s Hub page had not posted an update on this as of September 24, 2026.
That doesn’t end the project. It does mean the design money the city asked for in February 2026 has not come through from that program.
When will ferry service to Hercules start?
There’s no date and no scheduled route. San Francisco Bay Ferry’s board (WETA) adopted its 2050 Service Vision on May 9, 2024. It put Hercules in Tier 2, which means a Hercules stop would be added based on demand and technology barriers, with one route to the San Francisco Ferry Building (Contra Costa Herald, reporting on the WETA 2050 Service Vision, May 10, 2024).
Read that as “on the long-range map,” not “coming soon.”
What does this mean if I’m buying in Hercules?
Buy for how you’ll get around today, not for a station that doesn’t have a date. If you commute to San Francisco or Oakland, test your real route at rush hour before you write an offer.
If the Hub is built someday, homes near Bayfront Boulevard could be a short walk from a train stop. That’s a real possibility, not a promise. Nobody can honestly tell you it will raise home values, and we won’t. We also don’t have a sourced number on how station plans have moved Hercules prices, so we won’t guess.
A few things worth checking on any waterfront home:
- How far it is from the planned Hub site on Bayfront Boulevard.
- What else is approved or proposed on the blocks nearby (the city’s waterfront page lists current proposals).
- Whether the price you’re paying already assumes a train that may be years away.
How do I keep up with the Hub?
Watch two official places. The city’s Hercules Hub Project page posts funding and design updates. City Council agendas and staff reports are posted on the city’s Legistar meeting site. Those are where a real date would show up first.
Questions people also ask
Is there a train station in Hercules now?
No. Hercules does not have a Capitol Corridor stop today. On the Capitol Corridor station list, checked September 24, 2026, Richmond and Martinez are the nearest stops on either side of Hercules. The planned Hercules Hub on Bayfront Boulevard would add a stop, but the city’s project page gives no construction or opening date and lists the contractor as TBD.
How much will the Hercules Hub cost?
A February 10, 2026 City of Hercules staff report says about $46 million in related improvements, such as road extensions and Bay Trail gap closures, is already complete. It estimates about $130 million more is needed to build the rail work for a Capitol Corridor station. The city is applying for state and federal grants to cover it.
Did Hercules win the $21.7 million federal grant?
Not in the August 2026 round. The city applied in February 2026 for $21.7 million from the Federal Railroad Administration for design. FRA posted its National Railroad Partnership Program selections on August 14, 2026, with 41 projects picked out of 103 applications, and Hercules was not among them. Check the city’s Hub page for its next steps.
Will there be a ferry from Hercules to San Francisco?
Maybe someday, but nothing is scheduled. San Francisco Bay Ferry’s 2050 Service Vision, adopted May 9, 2024, lists Hercules in Tier 2, meaning service would be added based on demand and technology barriers, with one route to the San Francisco Ferry Building, as reported by the Contra Costa Herald on May 10, 2024.
Will the train station raise home values in Hercules?
Nobody can promise that, and we won’t. There’s no opening date, and we have no sourced number showing how station plans have changed Hercules prices. When we help you price a home, we use recent sales of similar homes nearby. Those sales show what buyers are paying today, with the Hub still unbuilt.
Your next step
Looking at a home near the waterfront? Send us the address and we’ll pull recent sales nearby and show you what’s approved or proposed around it. Ask a Hercules agent on our team or call (510) 949-5525.
More on Hercules: Living in Hercules, CA · Commute from Hercules to San Francisco · What’s my home worth?
By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Hercules, CA. Updated September 24, 2026.
The Davis Team is a real estate team at eXp Realty of California, Inc., DRE #01878277. Bill Davis, DRE #01880656.
Sources
- City of Hercules, The Hercules Hub Project (Project No. 63056): herculesca.gov/government/engineering-public-works/construction-projects/the-hercules-hub-project-7 (checked September 24, 2026)
- City of Hercules, City Council staff report, “Amendment No. 1 with Tai Ginsberg & Associates LLC … to Advance the Hercules Hub Project,” February 10, 2026: hercules.legistar.com (checked September 24, 2026)
- Federal Railroad Administration, FY 2024-2026 National Railroad Partnership Program Project Selections, August 14, 2026: railroads.dot.gov (checked September 24, 2026)
- Capitol Corridor, Stations: capitolcorridor.org/stations (checked September 24, 2026)
- Contra Costa Herald, “WETA includes four more Contra Costa ferry stops in 2050 Service Vision,” May 10, 2024 (checked September 24, 2026)