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
OwnerBay Area Rapid Transit District
LocaleEast Contra Costa County
Termini
Stations3
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata
Service
TypeHybrid rail
SystemBay Area Rapid Transit
Services1
Depot(s)Antioch Maintenance Yard
Rolling stock8 Stadler GTW
Daily ridership4,800 (weekdays, Q3 2023)[1]
Ridership1,205,400 (2022)[2]
History
OpenedMay 26, 2018 (2018-05-26)[3]
Technical
Line length9.1 miles (14.6 km)[4]
Number of tracks2
CharacterGrade separated in highway median
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed75 mph (121 km/h)[5]
Route map
California 4.svg SR 4
potential future extension
Maintenance Yard
 Antioch
 Pittsburg Center
 Pittsburg/​Bay Point enlarge…
 Yellow Line to SFO 
Handicapped/disabled access All stations are accessible

Parking Parking is available at all stations

eBART (East Contra Costa County BART extension)[6][7] is a hybrid rail (light rail with some features similar to commuter rail) branch line of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in eastern Contra Costa County, California, United States. The line extends the Yellow Line beyond Pittsburg/Bay Point station to Antioch station.

The eBART system is separate from and incompatible with the main BART rapid transit system.[8] Passengers make a cross-platform transfer at an auxiliary island platform 0.6 miles east of Pittsburg/Bay Point station. From this platform, the extension proceeds 9.1 miles (14.6 km)[4] east in the State Route 4 median to the city of Antioch[9] at a Hillcrest Avenue station. The American Public Transportation Association classifies the service as commuter rail.[10]

The BART map treats this service and the service using standard BART trains as a single line, dubbed the Yellow Line.

History

Planning

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.[11] 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.[12]

Ridership was initially projected at 5600 entrances and exits per weekday[13] (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.[14] The expansion was approved by the BART board in April 2009.[15] Costs were set at $463 million (equivalent to $632 million in 2022), compared to an estimated $1.2 billion (equivalent to $1.64 billion in 2022) for full BART buildout.[9] On October 14, 2010, BART issued a press release announcing that the agency had awarded a $26 million (equivalent to $34.9 million in 2022) 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."[16]

Construction on the line began in early 2011.[7] Funding for the Pittsburg station was secured in early 2015, and the station opened with the commencement of operations.[12]

Start of service

Revenue service began on May 26, 2018.[3] 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.[13] Its design and operation, the result of several compromises, were criticized by Streetsblog.[17]

Future

While not fully planned or funded as of 2018, further expansion of the line could bring eBART service to Oakley, Byron,[11][18] or the Brentwood Transit Center in Brentwood.[19] 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.[20]

Stations

Test DMU leaving Pittsburg Center station in the median of Highway 4 at sunset heading east to the Hillcrest Avenue, Antioch terminus

All eBART stations are in Contra Costa County.

Station City Opened Other BART lines
AntiochAntiochMay 26, 2018
Pittsburg CenterPittsburg
Pittsburg/​Bay PointDecember 7, 1996     Yellow Line

Rolling stock

Trains servicing the line include eight Stadler GTW coupled pairs. The first were delivered in June 2016,[5] and the agency has two options to procure six more sets.[21] 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).[8][22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 30, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2022" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "East Contra Costa BART Extension (eBART)". BART. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "BART System Facts". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  5. 1 2 COETSEE, ROWENA (June 30, 2017). "Local pols get sneak peek at eBART train". The Mercury News. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  6. ↑ Roth, Rob. "BART unveils diesel-powered eBART Antioch extension". KTVU. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  7. 1 2 "East Contra Costa BART Extension (eBART)". Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). April 3, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Stadler awarded eBART train contract". Railway Gazette. DVV Media UK. April 28, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Padilla, Dave (September 18, 2012). "BART Official Says eBART Rail Project Set To Open In 2016". KCBS SF Bay Area. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  10. ↑ "APTA Q3 Ridership Report" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  11. 1 2 Szymanski, Kyle. "eBART extension to Brentwood still a distant idea". The Press. Brentwood, California: Brentwood Press & Publishing. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  12. 1 2 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.
  13. 1 2 Brekke, Dan (June 1, 2018). "BART's New Antioch Station Is Very Popular -- and Doesn't Have Enough Parking". KQED. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  14. ↑ Guevarra, Ericka Cruz (November 12, 2015). "Officials to Celebrate BART's Eastward Expansion in Contra Costa County". KQED. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  15. ↑ "BART moves forward with $1 billion in extension projects". Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). April 27, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  16. ↑ "BART Board approves contract on Eastern Contra Costa County extension". Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). October 14, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Editorial: Impressions of BART's New Line to Antioch". Streetsblog San Francisco. June 6, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  18. ↑ CDM Smith. "eBART Next Segment Study" (PDF). Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  19. ↑ "BART: Board vote brings commuter rail closer to Brentwood". The Mercury News. May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Altamont DMU Study: March 2017" (PDF). San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission. March 8, 2017. p. 3.
  21. ↑ "East Contra Costa BART Extension (eBART) Implementation". Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). May 19, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Stadler Rail delivers trains to Oakland". Stadler Rail. April 26, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
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