Antioch–SFO+Millbrae line

Antioch–SFO + Millbrae line
An eastbound train leaving Rockridge station in 2017
Overview
Locale	California Delta East Bay San Francisco Peninsula
Termini	Antioch San Francisco International Airport (weekdays and Saturdays) Millbrae (evenings and Sundays)
Stations	28
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Bay Area Rapid Transit
Operator(s)	San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
History
Opened	May 21, 1973 (1973-05-21)
Last extension	May 26, 2018 (2018-05-26)
Technical
Line length	62.2 miles (100.1 km) including eBART
Track gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) Indian gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge (eBART)
Electrification	1 kV DC Third rail (except eBART)
Operating speed	70 mph (110 km/h)[1]
Signalling	Bombardier CITYFLO 550 fixed block ATC/ATO between San Bruno or Milbrae and SFO[2][3]
Route map Legend Antioch–SFO+Millbrae line Maintenance Yard Antioch Pittsburg Center eBART Pittsburg/​Bay Point Willow Pass through the Diablo Range SR 4 North Concord/​Martinez Concord   Concord Train Yard   Iron Horse Regional Trail Pleasant Hill/ Contra Costa Centre Contra Costa Canal Walnut Creek I-680 SR 24 Lafayette Orinda Berkeley Hills Tunnel Contra Costa County Alameda County SR 24 Rockridge ■ ■ to Richmond MacArthur southbound transfer I-580 I-980 / SR 24 19th Street Oakland northbound transfer 12th Street Oakland City Center ■ ■ to Berryessa/​North San José ■ to Dublin/​Pleasanton I-880 West Oakland Amtrak Transbay Tube Alameda County San Francisco I-80 Bay Bridge Embarcadero Montgomery Street Union Square/ Market Street 2022 Powell Street Civic Center/​UN Plaza 16th Street Mission 24th Street Mission Glen Park | San Jose/ Glen Park I-280 Balboa Park San Jose and Geneva San Francisco San Mateo County Daly City Saturday terminus Colma Colma Maintenance Yard SR 82 El Camino Real South San Francisco Centennial Way Trail San Bruno Caltrain to San Francisco US 101 San Francisco International Airport Millbrae evenings/ Sundays only Caltrain to Tamien & San Jose This diagram: view talk

The Antioch–SFO + Millbrae line is a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) line in the San Francisco Bay Area that runs from Antioch station to the San Francisco International Airport station (SFO), with trains continuing onto Millbrae station on evenings and Sundays. The line is colored yellow on maps, and BART sometimes calls it the Yellow Line.^[4] It serves 28 stations in Antioch, Pittsburg, Bay Point, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Orinda, Oakland, San Francisco, Daly City, Colma, South San Francisco, San Bruno, and Millbrae. It is the most-used BART line, and the only line with additional short turn trains to provide additional service to core areas during weekday peak hours.

The line is split into two segments. The majority of the line uses the same electric multiple unit trains as the rest of BART, and shares tracks with the four other mainline services. The 8.6-mile (13.8 km) section from Antioch to near Pittsburg/Bay Point station, known as eBART, uses diesel multiple units. A cross-platform transfer between the two modes is made at a dedicated transfer platform east of Pittsburg/Bay Point station. However, the line is shown on maps as one route, and headsigns and station information display the ultimate terminus of the line.

SFO serves as the southern terminus of the line until 9 pm; trains are extended to Millbrae to replace the Richmond–Millbrae + SFO line after 9 pm, as well as on some Sundays when trains single-track through San Francisco.

History[]

A westbound 24th Street Limited train bypassing Orinda station

The Antioch–SFO/Millbrae line was the second of BART's five rapid transit lines to open. Service from Concord to MacArthur began on May 21, 1973. The line was extended to Daly City when the Transbay Tube opened on September 16, 1974. The North Concord/​Martinez, Colma, and Pittsburg/​Bay Point stations were added in 1995–1996.^[5]

Until 2015, rush hour service included trains that short turned at Concord; these trains originated at Montgomery Street during the morning peak and returned to 24th Street Mission during the evening peak. On April 1, 2015, BART fully opened the Central Contra Costa Crossover, a pair of crossover tracks south of Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre station that allow trains to terminate there.^[6] On September 14, 2015, the Concord short turns were cut to Pleasant Hill to allow for increased frequency. Reverse peak "Pleasant Hill Limited" trains bypassed Rockridge, Orinda, Lafayette, and Walnut Creek stations eastbound in the morning peak, and Lafayette and Orinda westbound in the evening.^[7] The short turn trains were re-extended to Concord on February 10, 2020.^[8] The extra commute trains were temporarily eliminated effective March 19, 2020, due to ridership decreases caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.^[9]

In March 2016, mysterious electrical surges caused several cars to be taken out of service on the tracks north of North Concord/Martinez station. On March 16, 2016, BART halted service to Pittsburg/Bay Point station and established a bus bridge between North Concord and Pittsburg/Bay Point.^[10] Limited service to Pittsburg/Bay Point resumed on March 21^[11] and full service resumed on April 2.^[12]

SFO/Millbrae extension service[]

When the SFO/Millbrae extension opened on June 22, 2003, BART extended the Pittsburg/Bay Point–SFO/Millbrae line to Millbrae but bypassed San Francisco International Airport station (SFO). BART rerouted this line to SFO in place of the Dublin/Pleasanton line on February 9, 2004, with service extended to Millbrae outside of weekday peak hours. San Mateo County is not a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, so SamTrans funded the county's BART service. When the extension's lower-than-expected ridership caused SamTrans to accrue deficits, BART agreed to SamTrans' request to operate only the Dublin/Pleasanton line south of Daly City effective September 12, 2005.

SamTrans and BART reached an agreement in February 2007 in which SamTrans would transfer control and financial responsibility of the SFO/Millbrae extension to BART, in return for BART receiving additional fixed funding from SamTrans and other sources.^[13] In January 2008, BART re-extended the line to SFO at all times, and in September 2009, trains were further extended to Millbrae on evenings and weekends.

Beginning on February 10, 2020, the Antioch line again terminated at SFO at all times, and service from SFO to Millbrae was once again served by the SFO-Millbrae line.^[14] Antioch line and SFO-Millbrae line trains were interlined on Sundays, with no transfer required at SFO.^[15] Beginning on March 22, 2021, the Antioch line and the shuttle were interlined on both Saturdays and Sundays.^[16] On August 2, 2021, the shuttle was eliminated as a separate service, with the Antioch line extended to Millbrae on evenings and Sundays when the Richmond–Millbrae + SFO line is not operating.^[17]

Effective February 14, 2022, all trains terminate at SFO before 9 pm, except on some Sundays when power cable replacement work takes place in San Francisco. Trains are extended to Millbrae after 9 pm and all day on single-tracking Sundays.^[18]

Antioch extension service[]

BART to Antioch, named during construction and commonly known as eBART (East Contra Costa BART Extension),^[25][26][27] is a diesel multiple unit (DMU) light rail branch line of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in eastern Contra Costa County, California, United States. Service starts at Pittsburg/Bay Point station and extends 8.6 miles (13.8 km) east to Antioch station.

Trains and tracks for the portion of the Antioch – SFO/Millbrae line between Antioch and Pittsburg/Bay Point are incompatible with those of the main BART rapid transit system, making it impossible for trains to move between the two systems;^[28] instead, passengers transfer via a cross platform interchange at an auxiliary BART stop at Pittsburg/Bay Point – the BART to Antioch platform is accessible only via an intra-station ride from the main station to this auxiliary stop. Revenue service began on May 26, 2018.^[29]

The BART map does not differentiate between this service and the remainder of the Antioch–SFO/Millbrae line.^[30][31] There is a notation on the map published in stations showing a transfer is required, but not on the schedule or map brochures distributed to the public.^[32]

Stations[]

References[]

Route map: