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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
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 ridership4,300 (weekdays, Q2 2024)[1]
Ridership1,292,200 (2023)[2]
History
OpenedMay 26, 2018; 6 years ago (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 speedUp to 75 mph (121 km/h)[5]
Route map
Map eBART highlighted in yellow

Legend
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 All stations have parking
This diagram:

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 break of gauge and the use of diesel power makes the eBART system 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

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Planning

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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

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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 $658 million in 2023), compared to an estimated $1.2 billion (equivalent to $1.7 billion in 2023) 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 $36.3 million in 2023) 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

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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

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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 the proposed Valley Link line.[20]

Stations

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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  Y  Yellow Line

Rolling stock

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See also: Bay Area Rapid Transit rolling stock § eBART fleet

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

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References

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  1. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "East Contra Costa BART Extension (eBART)". BART. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "BART System Facts". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  5. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "East Contra Costa BART Extension (eBART)". Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). April 3, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Stadler awarded eBART train contract". Railway Gazette. DVV Media UK. April 28, 2014. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  9. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Szymanski, Kyle. "eBART extension to Brentwood still a distant idea". The Press. Brentwood, California: Brentwood Press & Publishing. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  12. ^ 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. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  13. ^ 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.
  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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