| eBART | |
| Other Name: | East Contra Costa County BART extension |
| Image Alt: | A railcar on a rail line in the median of a highway |
| Type: | Hybrid rail |
| System: | Bay Area Rapid Transit |
| Locale: | East Contra Costa County |
| Start: | Antioch |
| End: | Pittsburg/Bay Point |
| Stations: | 3 |
| Routes: | 1 |
| Daily Ridership: | |
| Ridership2: | |
| Open: | [1] |
| Owner: | Bay Area Rapid Transit District |
| Character: | Grade separated in highway median |
| Depot: | Antioch Maintenance Yard |
| Stock: | 8 Stadler GTW |
| Linelength: | 9.1miles |
| Tracks: | 2 |
| Speed: | 75mph[2] |
eBART (East Contra Costa County BART extension)[3] 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. 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 9.1miles[4] east in the State Route 4 median to the city of Antioch[5] at a Hillcrest Avenue station. The American Public Transportation Association classifies the service as commuter rail.[6]
The BART map treats this service and the service using standard BART trains as a single line, dubbed the .
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. 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.[7]
Ridership was initially projected at 5600 entrances and exits per weekday (supposing an opening date of 2015).
A sales tax increase was approved by Contra Costa voters in 2004 in order to fund the expansion.[8] The expansion was approved by the BART board in April 2009.[9] Costs were set at $463 million (equivalent to $ in), compared to an estimated $1.2 billion (equivalent to $ in) for full BART buildout. On October 14, 2010, BART issued a press release announcing that the agency had awarded a $26 million (equivalent to $ in) 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."[10]
Construction on the line began in early 2011.[11] Funding for the Pittsburg station was secured in early 2015, and the station opened with the commencement of operations.
Revenue service began on May 26, 2018. 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.[12] Its design and operation, the result of several compromises, were criticized by Streetsblog.[13]
While not fully planned or funded, further expansion of the line could bring eBART service to Oakley, Byron,[14] [15] or the Brentwood Transit Center in Brentwood.[16] 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.[17]
See main article: List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations.
All eBART stations are in Contra Costa County.
| Station | City | Opened | Other BART lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2018 | |||
| Pittsburg | |||
| December 7, 1996 |
Trains servicing the line include eight Stadler GTW coupled pairs. The first were delivered in June 2016, and the agency has two options to procure six more sets.[18] 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).[19] [20]