BART picks downtown Livermore route for rail extension - Inside Bay Area
BART Board selects alignment for Livermore extension « Transbay Blog
BART's Board of Directors has decided on a route. From Hayward to Dublin and Pleasanton, BART runs in the median of I-580. It will run a little bit further, then turn off into downtown Livermore, going in a tunnel under Portola Ave. and then Junction Aves. until it meets 1st St. It will then turn east along the Union Pacific line, surfacing and having a station at Vasco Rd., near the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
I was a bit surprised by this, since I expected them to select an alternative that would continue in I-580 to Greenville Rd., where it would meet with the UP line. This choice seems good from an urban-development standpoint, since the proposed Junction Ave. / 1st St. station is on the east end of Livermore's downtown area.
It will also be rather expensive, around $4 billion, but it helps resolve a political difficulty with BART - people paying taxes to support it and not getting service. "No taxation without representation", it would seem.
Construction and planning continues in other parts of the BART system (BART - Projects).
West Dublin-Pleasanton
BART - Construction at West Dublin/Pleasanton to close part of I-580 this weekend (June 16) - Westbound lanes were to be closed for installing the north-side pedestrian bridges. No word on success or or failure.
BART - Late-night closures on I-580 two weekends in July for West Dublin construction (July 2) - Eastbound lanes are to be closed for installing the south-side pedestrian bridges.
There were some problems with the welding of these bridges that delayed construction for about a year, but these news stories suggest that that problem has been resolved and that these bridges are ready to go.
It will open some time next year.
Central Contra Costa County Crossover
This is two crossovers between the Walnut Creek and the Pleasant Hill stations. It will make it easier to detour around stuck trains, and it will make it easier to turn back in the middle to permit more service of the inner parts without wasting time half-empty in the outer parts.
East Contra Costa County Extension: eBART
In a departure from their usual approach, BART's planners have decided on using Diesel Multiple Unit trains west of Pittsburg / BayPoint. The first phase of the line will go in Hwy. 4 to Railroad Ave. in Pittsburg and Hillcrest Ave. in Antioch, and later phases could go to Oakley, Brentwood, Byron, and Discovery Bay.
The concept art shows a standard BART train on one side of the PBP platform and a DMU train on the other. Will BART trains only run to one track and eBART ones to the other? Will the tracks be dual-gauge? Will plain BART run to the inner parts and eBART to the outer parts?
It's not very clear what the status of the project is -- is it still in planning or are they ready to start construction? However, the Hwy. 4 widening project is going ahead. It will allow the eBART tracks to run in that highway's median.
Earthquake Safety
Soon to start: construction of reinforcements for the West Oakland station.
Dismantling of the Lake Merritt Administration Building
That was deemed necessary because of earthquake vulnerability. It is now complete, and a plaza will be built where the building had been.
Oakland Airport Connector
Still trying to get funding for it - it will have an elevated line between the Oakland Coliseum station and Oakland Airport.
Warm Springs Extension
Construction is proceeding on schedule, and it should open in 2014. The line will go underneath Fremont Central Park, underneath the east shore of Lake Elizabeth. It will then surface south of it, following UP's ex-Western-Pacific line southward. The Warm Springs station will be a little south of Grimmer Blvd.
The Union Pacific Railroad compnany has abandoned some of its ex-WP line south of Niles Canyon Junction into Fremont, Milpitas, and San Jose; the track is gone between that junction and Washington Blvd in Fremont.
Santa Clara County Extension
News Releases: NR 10 06 06
Record of Decision issued for BART to San Jose « Transbay Blog
BART Silicon Valley Achieves Environmental Milestone
VTA One Step Closer to Federal Funding Commitment
If all goes well, construction should start in 2012, with service to start in 2018. However, it will only be to Milpitas and Berryessa. It will follow the ex-WP line from Warm Springs, having a station at the Mall of America in Milpitas and another station at Las Plumas Ave. in the Berryessa area.
Further construction has been delayed from lack of funding; it will go through downtown SJ, have a station at the CalTrain station, then go north to Santa Clara near the airport.
New BART railcars
BART has begun its process of selecting a manufacturer for railcars that will replace its entire fleet. BART earlier had some concept pictures with lots of fold-up seats and plenty of floor space for standees. Something like NYC subway railcars.
BART Board selects alignment for Livermore extension « Transbay Blog
BART's Board of Directors has decided on a route. From Hayward to Dublin and Pleasanton, BART runs in the median of I-580. It will run a little bit further, then turn off into downtown Livermore, going in a tunnel under Portola Ave. and then Junction Aves. until it meets 1st St. It will then turn east along the Union Pacific line, surfacing and having a station at Vasco Rd., near the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
I was a bit surprised by this, since I expected them to select an alternative that would continue in I-580 to Greenville Rd., where it would meet with the UP line. This choice seems good from an urban-development standpoint, since the proposed Junction Ave. / 1st St. station is on the east end of Livermore's downtown area.
It will also be rather expensive, around $4 billion, but it helps resolve a political difficulty with BART - people paying taxes to support it and not getting service. "No taxation without representation", it would seem.
Construction and planning continues in other parts of the BART system (BART - Projects).
West Dublin-Pleasanton
BART - Construction at West Dublin/Pleasanton to close part of I-580 this weekend (June 16) - Westbound lanes were to be closed for installing the north-side pedestrian bridges. No word on success or or failure.
BART - Late-night closures on I-580 two weekends in July for West Dublin construction (July 2) - Eastbound lanes are to be closed for installing the south-side pedestrian bridges.
There were some problems with the welding of these bridges that delayed construction for about a year, but these news stories suggest that that problem has been resolved and that these bridges are ready to go.
It will open some time next year.
Central Contra Costa County Crossover
This is two crossovers between the Walnut Creek and the Pleasant Hill stations. It will make it easier to detour around stuck trains, and it will make it easier to turn back in the middle to permit more service of the inner parts without wasting time half-empty in the outer parts.
East Contra Costa County Extension: eBART
In a departure from their usual approach, BART's planners have decided on using Diesel Multiple Unit trains west of Pittsburg / BayPoint. The first phase of the line will go in Hwy. 4 to Railroad Ave. in Pittsburg and Hillcrest Ave. in Antioch, and later phases could go to Oakley, Brentwood, Byron, and Discovery Bay.
The concept art shows a standard BART train on one side of the PBP platform and a DMU train on the other. Will BART trains only run to one track and eBART ones to the other? Will the tracks be dual-gauge? Will plain BART run to the inner parts and eBART to the outer parts?
It's not very clear what the status of the project is -- is it still in planning or are they ready to start construction? However, the Hwy. 4 widening project is going ahead. It will allow the eBART tracks to run in that highway's median.
Earthquake Safety
Soon to start: construction of reinforcements for the West Oakland station.
Dismantling of the Lake Merritt Administration Building
That was deemed necessary because of earthquake vulnerability. It is now complete, and a plaza will be built where the building had been.
Oakland Airport Connector
Still trying to get funding for it - it will have an elevated line between the Oakland Coliseum station and Oakland Airport.
Warm Springs Extension
Construction is proceeding on schedule, and it should open in 2014. The line will go underneath Fremont Central Park, underneath the east shore of Lake Elizabeth. It will then surface south of it, following UP's ex-Western-Pacific line southward. The Warm Springs station will be a little south of Grimmer Blvd.
The Union Pacific Railroad compnany has abandoned some of its ex-WP line south of Niles Canyon Junction into Fremont, Milpitas, and San Jose; the track is gone between that junction and Washington Blvd in Fremont.
Santa Clara County Extension
News Releases: NR 10 06 06
Record of Decision issued for BART to San Jose « Transbay Blog
BART Silicon Valley Achieves Environmental Milestone
VTA One Step Closer to Federal Funding Commitment
If all goes well, construction should start in 2012, with service to start in 2018. However, it will only be to Milpitas and Berryessa. It will follow the ex-WP line from Warm Springs, having a station at the Mall of America in Milpitas and another station at Las Plumas Ave. in the Berryessa area.
Further construction has been delayed from lack of funding; it will go through downtown SJ, have a station at the CalTrain station, then go north to Santa Clara near the airport.
New BART railcars
BART has begun its process of selecting a manufacturer for railcars that will replace its entire fleet. BART earlier had some concept pictures with lots of fold-up seats and plenty of floor space for standees. Something like NYC subway railcars.
