eBART

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eBART
A railcar on a rail line in the median of a highway
Stadler GTW near Pittsburg Center station, May 2018
Overview
Other name(s)East Contra Costa County BART extension
StatusOperational
OwnerBay Area Rapid Transit District
LocaleEast Contra Costa County
TerminiAntioch
Pittsburg/Bay Point
Stations3
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata
Service
TypeDiesel MU light rail
SystemBay Area Rapid Transit
Services1
Operator(s)Bay Area Rapid Transit District
Depot(s)Antioch Maintenance Yard
Rolling stock8 Stadler GTW
Daily ridership8,200 (Q4 2019)[1]
History
OpenedMay 26, 2018; 3 years ago (2018-05-26)[2]
Technical
Line length10.1 mi (16.3 km)
Number of tracks2
CharacterGrade separated in highway median
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
ElectrificationNo
Operating speed75 mph (121 km/h)[3]
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Route map

Legend
SR 4
future extension
Maintenance Yard
 Antioch
Pittsburg Center
Pittsburg/​Bay Point enlarge…
 SFO/Millbrae 
Parking available at all stations
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eBART (East Contra Costa County BART extension)[4][5] is the project name[6] for 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 to Antioch station.

eBART tracks and trains are incompatible with those of the main BART rapid transit system, making it impossible for trains to move between the two systems;[7] instead, passengers transfer via a cross platform interchange at an auxiliary BART stop at Pittsburg/Bay Point – the eBART platform is accessible only via an intra-station ride from the main station to this auxiliary stop. The extension proceeds 10.1 miles (16.3 kilometres)[3] east along the State Route 4 median to the city of Antioch[8] at a Hillcrest Avenue station. The American Public Transportation Association classifies the service as a commuter rail.[1]

The BART map treats this service and the service using standard BART trains as a single line, dubbed the Antioch–​SFO + Millbrae Line.[9] The color associated with this entire line on maps and other BART wayfinding material is yellow.[10][11]

History[]

Planning[]

For further extension into Contra Costa County and to extend the Pittsburg/Bay Point–SFO/Millbrae line, the DMU system was chosen as an alternative to the existing BART infrastructure because it was claimed to be both less expensive to implement[8] and would more easily allow further extensions.[citation needed]

Initial plans had trains running on the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way that runs parallel to State Route 4. After Union Pacific declined to grant trackage rights or allow laying of new tracks, the line was merged with a construction project already in the process of widening the adjacent freeway, by laying tracks in its median.[12] Construction of the Railroad Avenue station in Pittsburg had been uncertain as planning and construction progressed but was fully funded by the city to open with the rest of the extension.[13]

Ridership was initially projected at 5600 entrances and exits per weekday[14] (supposing an opening date of 2015).

Funding and construction[]

Transfer platform under construction in 2018

A sales tax increase was approved by Contra Costa voters in 2004 in order to fund the expansion.[15] The expansion was approved by the BART board in April 2009.[16] Costs were set at $463 million (equivalent to $559 million in 2020), compared to an estimated $1.2 billion (equivalent to $1.45 billion in 2020) for full BART buildout.[8] On October 14, 2010, BART issued a press release announcing that the agency had awarded a $26 million (equivalent to $30.9 million in 2020) contract to West Bay Builders, of Novato, "to build the transfer platform and make some of the necessary rail improvements to begin extending the line to a terminus station at Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch."[17]

Construction on the line began in early 2011.[5] Funding for the Pittsburg station was secured in early 2015, and the station opened with the commencement of operations.[13]

Start of service[]

Revenue service began on May 26, 2018.[2] The new stations reached 7,441 daily customer entrances and exits within the first three workdays, while ridership and parking levels at the previous terminal, Pittsburg/Bay Point, declined.[14] Its design and operation were criticized by Streetsblog as hostile to people who don't drive cars.[18]

Future[]

While not fully planned or funded as of 2018, expansions of the DMU system could connect eBART service to Oakley, Byron,[12][19] or the Brentwood Transit Center in Brentwood.[20] In 2017, the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission indicated that eBART could be extended to Tracy, where it would connect with the Altamont Corridor Express and a proposed Valley link line.[21]

Stations[]

Test DMU leaving Pittsburg Center station in the median of Highway 4 at sunset heading east to the Hillcrest Avenue, Antioch terminus
Main article: List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations

All eBART stations are in Contra Costa County.

Station City Opened Other BART lines
Antioch Antioch May 26, 2018
Pittsburg Center Pittsburg
Pittsburg/​Bay Point December 7, 1996      Antioch–​SFO + Millbrae Line

Rolling stock[]

See also: Bay Area Rapid Transit rolling stock

Trains servicing the line include eight Stadler GTW coupled pairs. The first were delivered in June 2016,[3] and the agency has two options to procure six more sets.[22] The Stadler GTW trains are diesel multiple units with 2/6 articulated power units, and are based on models previously used in Austin (Capital MetroRail), Denton (A-train), and New Jersey (River Line).[7][23]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "APTA Q3 Ridership Report" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "East Contra Costa BART Extension (eBART)". BART. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c COETSEE, ROWENA (June 30, 2017). "Local pols get sneak peek at eBART train". The Mercury News. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  4. ^ Roth, Rob. "BART unveils diesel-powered eBART Antioch extension". KTVU. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "East Contra Costa BART Extension (eBART)". Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). April 3, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  6. ^ "East Contra Costa BART Extension FAQ | bart.gov". bart.gov. BART. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "Stadler awarded eBART train contract". Railway Gazette. DVV Media UK. April 28, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c Padilla, Dave (September 18, 2012). "BART Official Says eBART Rail Project Set To Open In 2016". KCBS SF Bay Area. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  9. ^ "Station List". BART. BART.
  10. ^ "BART SCOA Final Report June 2013" (PDF). BART.gov. BART. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  11. ^ BART staff. "BART to Antioch: East Contra Costa BART Extension". BART. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Szymanski, Kyle. "eBART extension to Brentwood still a distant idea". The Press. Brentwood, California: Brentwood Press & Publishing. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Gartrell, Nate (January 22, 2015). "Pittsburg secures last piece of funding for eBART, expect new station in 2018". Contra Costa Times. Digital First Media. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Brekke, Dan (June 1, 2018). "BART's New Antioch Station Is Very Popular -- and Doesn't Have Enough Parking". KQED. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  15. ^ Guevarra, Ericka Cruz (November 12, 2015). "Officials to Celebrate BART's Eastward Expansion in Contra Costa County". KQED. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  16. ^ "BART moves forward with $1 billion in extension projects". Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). April 27, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  17. ^ "BART Board approves contract on Eastern Contra Costa County extension". Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). October 14, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  18. ^ "Editorial: Impressions of BART's New Line to Antioch". Streetsblog San Francisco. June 6, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  19. ^ CDM Smith. "eBART Next Segment Study" (pdf). Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  20. ^ "BART: Board vote brings commuter rail closer to Brentwood". The Mercury News. May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  21. ^ "Altamont DMU Study: March 2017" (PDF). San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission. March 8, 2017. p. 3.
  22. ^ "East Contra Costa BART Extension (eBART) Implementation". Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). May 19, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  23. ^ "Stadler Rail delivers trains to Oakland". Stadler Rail. April 26, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2015.

External links[]

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