Oakland Coliseum station

Coordinates: 37°45′09″N 122°11′53″W / 37.75243°N 122.19814°W / 37.75243; -122.19814
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Coliseum
Bay Area Rapid Transit Amtrak
An elevated rapid transit station with a second platform connected at one end
BART and Oakland Airport Connector platforms, 2017
General information
Location700 73rd Avenue (Amtrak)[1]
7200 San Leandro Street (BART)[2]
Oakland, California
United States
Coordinates37°45′09″N 122°11′53″W / 37.75243°N 122.19814°W / 37.75243; -122.19814 (Amtrak)
37°45′13″N 122°11′49″W / 37.75370°N 122.19685°W / 37.75370; -122.19685 (BART)
Owned byBay Area Rapid Transit, City of Oakland, Union Pacific Railroad[1]
Line(s)UP Niles Subdivision (Amtrak station)[3]
BART A-Line[4]
BART H-Line
Platforms1 side platform (Amtrak)
1 island platform (BART)
1 side platform (Oakland Airport Connector)
Tracks3 (Amtrak)
2 (BART)
1 (Oakland Airport Connector)
Bus stands6
ConnectionsBus transport AC Transit: 45, 46L, 73, 90, 98, 646, 657, 805
Bus transport Alameda County East Oakland Shuttle
Bus transport Harbor Bay Business Park Shuttle
Construction
Parking35 spaces (Amtrak)
847 spaces (BART)[5][6]
Bicycle facilities18 lockers and racks
AccessibleYes
ArchitectNeil Smith, Reynolds & Chamberlain (BART)[7]
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: OAC
History
OpenedSeptember 11, 1972 (1972-09-11) (BART)
June 6, 2005 (Amtrak)
RebuiltNovember 22, 2014 (Airport connector opened)
Previous namesColiseum (1972–1977)
Coliseum/Oakland Airport (1977–2014)
Passengers
20242,332 (weekday average)[8] (BART)
FY 202223,557 annually [9] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Hayward
toward San Jose
 Capitol Corridor Oakland–Jack London Square
toward Auburn
     Coast Starlight does not stop here
Preceding station Bay Area Rapid Transit Following station
Fruitvale
toward Daly City
 Blue Line San Leandro
toward Dublin/​Pleasanton
Green Line San Leandro
toward Berryessa/​North San José
Fruitvale
toward Richmond
 Orange Line
Oakland International Airport
Terminus
 Oakland Airport Connector Terminus
Location
Map

The station complex of Amtrak's Oakland Coliseum station and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)'s Coliseum station is located in the East Oakland area of Oakland, California, United States. The two stations, located about 600 feet (180 m) apart, are connected to each other and to the Oakland Coliseum/Oakland Arena sports complex with an accessible pedestrian bridge. The BART station is served by the Orange, Green, and Blue lines; the Amtrak station is served by the Capitol Corridor service.

The BART station opened in 1972, serving the then-new Oakland Coliseum and the surrounding neighborhood. The Amtrak platform was added in 2005, making it one of two transfer points between BART and Amtrak. In 2014, the complex became the terminus of the Oakland Airport Connector, providing a rail connection to Oakland International Airport. The station also serves as a transfer point for AC Transit buses and business park shuttles.


Station layout[edit]

BART station[edit]

See caption.
Map of the station complex and surrounding area (see detailed diagram)

The BART station is an elevated three-level structure. Fare control and concessions are located on the ground level, east of San Leandro Street, underneath the northern end of the platform.[10] Conventional BART trains serve an island platform on the elevated second level. The grade-level Union Pacific Railroad (UP) Oakland Subdivision runs parallel to BART on the east side of the station, separating it from the adjacent Coliseum neighborhood.[11] An accessible pedestrian underpass tunnel with a stairlift runs underneath the Union Pacific right-of-way and connects the fare control area with the parking area and Snell Street.[10][12] A taxi stand is located along the western side of San Leandro Street just north of 71st Avenue, with a secondary taxi loading zone also located along the eastern side of Snell Street near the bicycle locker area. A 950-foot (290 m) pedestrian bridge between the BART station and the Coliseum sports complex crosses over San Leandro Street and the UP Niles Subdivision tracks.[13]

The Beige Line station is located on the third level of the Oakland Coliseum station complex. It has one track serving one side platform. It has no direct non-emergency street access and can only be reached from the main BART platform.[10] Unlike conventional BART stations, platform screen doors provide a barrier between the platform and the guideway of the driverless system. The fare for the line is charged at Coliseum station for travel in both directions.[14] The walls of the platform area feature an artwork titled A-Round Oakland by Gordon Huether. The $300,000 artwork consists of around 50 colorful dichroic glass circles ranging from 18–36 inches (460–910 mm) in diameter.[15]

Amtrak station[edit]

A diesel locomotive at a surface-level railway station
A Capitol Corridor train at Oakland Coliseum in November 2017

The Amtrak station is an unstaffed grade-level station located at the western end of the 73rd Avenue cul-de-sac. The station has few amenities other than benches sheltered by open-air canopies.[1] A QuikTrak ticket machine that was previously located at the station was removed due to vandalism issues.[16] The UP Niles Subdivision has three tracks at the station — two mainline tracks used by Union Pacific freight trains (and the Coast Starlight), and a siding track with a single side platform on the northeast side serving Capitol Corridor trains.[3] Oakland Coliseum is primarily served by through trains between Sacramento and San Jose, but also functions as a terminal for some Capitol Corridor service traveling to/from Sacramento. An accessible ramp structure connects the platform to the pedestrian bridge.[10]

Bus service[edit]

City buses next to an elevated rapid transit station
AC Transit buses at the station in 2017

Coliseum station is one of the main bus-rail interchanges for East Oakland (along with Fruitvale station) and is served 24/7 by various bus services. It is served by eight AC Transit bus routes, which stop on both sides of San Leandro Street:[10][17]

In addition, several fare-free local shuttle routes stop at the BART passenger loading zone on the southeastern corner of San Leandro Street and 71st Avenue.[10] These include the Alameda County East Oakland Shuttle, which connects the station with county offices at Eastmont Town Center, Edgewater Drive, and Enterprise Way, as well as shuttle buses serving the nearby Harbor Bay Business Park.[18][19][20]

History[edit]

BART[edit]

A concrete footbridge over railway tracks
The 1974-completed footbridge

Original plans in 1960 for the BART system called for a station at 77th Avenue.[21] Around 1963, the planned station was relocated slightly north to 73rd Avenue to better serve the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum/Coliseum Arena sports complex, which opened in 1966.[22] By August 1965, the city's preferred name for the station was "Coliseum–73rd Ave".[23] In October 1965, a BART committee suggested the simpler Coliseum, which was approved that December.[24][25] By 1965, BART and Alameda County disagreed on who was responsible for providing access between the station and the sports complex.[26] A footbridge connecting the two was planned by 1967, though financing had not been arranged.[27]

BART awarded a $1.13 million contract in June 1968 for construction of the station. While funding was not yet available for the walkway, the station design was futureproofed to permit its later addition.[28] BART agreed in September 1971 to contribute funds towards a footbridge; the Coliseum management similarly agreed that November.[29][30][31] Design work began in mid-1972. BART would contribute $125,000 of the expected $1.5 million cost of the bridge; the Coliseum would add $375,000 and the federal government $1 million. The project also included an elevator between the fare lobby and platform, which was not included in the initial station construction.[32][33] The station opened as part of the first segment of the BART system (MacArthur–Fremont) on September 11, 1972.[34]

Construction of the elevator began in February 1973.[35] The BART Board approved the footbridge plans and advertised the project for bidding in May 1973.[36][37] By mid-1974, construction was 80% complete.[38] The footbridge initially opened on October 5, 1974 for the American League playoffs and 1974 World Series.[39][40][41][42] However, it was closed on October 18, after the conclusion of the World Series, due to excessive swaying.[43][39] BART approved funding for design work to strengthen the bridge in November 1974, and issued a construction contract in July 1975 to add additional bracing.[42][44]

The footbridge reopened in October 1975 — just in time for the single American League Championship Series game played at the Coliseum on October 7.[45] In January 1976, an arbitration panel ordered the firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, which had designed the footbridge, to pay $44,131 of the $64,000 cost to strengthen the bridge. BART paid the remainder.[46] AirBART bus service connecting the station with Oakland International Airport began on July 1, 1977.[47][48] The station was renamed Coliseum/Oakland Airport to reflect the new airport connection.[49] Around 1978, the footbridge was retrofitted with higher fencing because Coliseum attendees had been throwing objects onto businesses below.[50]

Amtrak[edit]

Aerial view of a station complex with three platforms in an industrial area. A footbridge connects the platforms to a stadium.
Aerial view of the station complex

Amtrak's long-distance Coast Starlight service has used the Union Pacific right-of-way since its inception in 1971, but served only the main downtown stops in Oakland: 16th Street station until 1994, then Oakland–Jack London Square station from 1995 on. Capitols (later Capitol Corridor) service began in 1991; Oakland Coliseum was among the stations proposed in 1990 for the new service.[1][51] In 2002, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA), in conjunction with Caltrans and the City of Oakland, decided to build a Capitol Corridor station at Oakland Coliseum.[1] The new $6.6 million Oakland Coliseum station opened on June 6, 2005; it included a newly built accessible connection to the original BART-Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum pedestrian bridge, facilitating a grade separated transfer between the Capitol Corridor and BART.[1][52]

Oakland Airport Connector[edit]

BART considered plans for a rail link to Oakland International Airport as early as 1970, including a bi-directional loop off the main line, but no significant progress was made until the early 1990s.[53][54] In 2009, the Oakland City Council approved the construction of the Oakland Airport Connector, a 3.2-mile (5.1 km) automated guideway transit line. Construction on the line began in October 2010; it was renamed the Coliseum-Oakland International Airport line by BART.[55][54] The line's Coliseum station opened on November 21, 2014, along with the rest of the line. AirBART bus service between the station and the airport was discontinued. The name of the conventional BART station was changed back to Coliseum, allowing the terminus station at the airport to be named as Oakland International Airport station.[56][57]

In the early 2000s, planning began for transit-oriented development to replace a station parking lot. The Coliseum Connections project, a modular structure with 110 mixed-income units on a 1.3-acre (0.53 ha) site, was constructed from November 2017 to April 4, 2019. The developers of the project lease the site from BART.[58][59] In August 2020, a mural by seven Oakland Unified School District students was completed in the pedestrian tunnel.[60] Thirteen BART stations, including Coliseum, did not originally have faregates for passengers using the elevator. In 2020, BART started a project to add faregates to elevators at these stations. The new faregate in the BART lobby at Coliseum was installed in August 2020.[61]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Oakland Coliseum, CA (OAC)". Great American Stations. Amtrak. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "Coliseum". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  3. ^ a b SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 4.
  4. ^ "Rail Capacity Improvement Study for Heavy Rail Transit Operations" (PDF). Federal Transit Administration. October 2012. p. 52.
  5. ^ "BART asks tailgaters to use only one parking-lot space". East Bay Times. September 30, 2005. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  6. ^ "Small parking lot to close at Coliseum Station starting 9/5" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. August 22, 2017.
  7. ^ Cerny, Susan Dinkelspiel (2007). An Architectural Guidebook to San Francisco and the Bay Area (1st ed.). Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith. pp. 501–502. ISBN 978-1-58685-432-4. OCLC 85623396.
  8. ^ "Monthly Ridership Reports". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. February 2024.
  9. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Transit Stops: Coliseum Station, Oakland" (PDF). Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. April 3, 2019.
  11. ^ Alta Planning + Design, Inc. (November 2009). "The Union Pacific Railroad Oakland Subdivision Corridor Improvement Study". Alameda County Public Works Agency.
  12. ^ "BART Parking: Coliseum" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  13. ^ Hartlaub, Peter (June 12, 2019). "A tribute to the Coliseum BART pedestrian walkway, accidental East Bay treasure". San Francisco Chronicle.
  14. ^ Cabanatuan, Michael (June 13, 2014). "$6 rides for BART's Oakland Airport Connector". San Francisco Chronicle.
  15. ^ "A-Round Oakland | BART Station". CODAworx.
  16. ^ Hawkins, Sharron (October 3, 2012). "Amtrak database of train stations, 2012 – Government Attic". Amtrak. Retrieved February 18, 2018 – via GovernmentAttic.
  17. ^ "Schedules & Fares: Coliseum Station, Oakland" (PDF). Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. February 21, 2020.
  18. ^ "Shuttles to County Buildings". Alameda County. March 23, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  19. ^ City of Alameda Public Works Department (February 15, 2012). "Report for: City of Alameda TSM/TDM Plan" (PDF). p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 6, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  20. ^ "Harbor Bay Business Park Shuttle". ALTRANS Transportation Management Association. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  21. ^ "General Map: June 6, 1960 Routes: Peninsula line via Bayshore". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. June 6, 1960 – via Erik Fischer on Flickr.
  22. ^ "Cities Seek Changes In Transit". Oakland Tribune. November 15, 1963. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Differences On Transit Stop Names". Oakland Tribune. August 24, 1965. p. 50 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "A Name For BART Station?". Oakland Tribune. October 20, 1965. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Names Approved for 38 Rapid Transit Stations Around Bay". Oakland Tribune. December 10, 1965. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "BART Looks Over Budget, Tax Jump". Oakland Tribune. May 14, 1965. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Financing Sought For Coliseum Ramp". Oakland Tribune. October 31, 1967. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "BART Awards Coliseum Station Job". Oakland Tribune. June 7, 1968. pp. 1, 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Demoro, Harre W. (September 24, 1971). "BART Will Share Cost of the Ramp". Oakland Tribune. p. 52 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Coliseum–BART Link Near OK". Oakland Tribune. September 21, 1972. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Coliseum Earmarks BART Walkway Funds". Oakland Tribune. November 12, 1971. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Strike Delays Elevator Service at Some Stations". Oakland Tribune. September 10, 1972. p. 36 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "BART Eyeing Ways To Improve Transit Of Berkeley Riders". The Berkeley Gazette. June 30, 1972. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "BART Chronology January 1947 – March 2009" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2013.
  35. ^ "Four BART Lines Make The System". The Independent. February 26, 1973. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "BART–Coliseum Walkway Approved". Oakland Tribune. May 9, 1973. p. 41 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ Demoro, Harre W. (May 25, 1973). "Sparks Fly at BART Board Meeting". Oakland Tribune. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ 1973/74 Annual Report. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. 1974. p. 5 – via Internet Archive.
  39. ^ a b 1974/75 Annual Report. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. 1975. p. 5 – via Internet Archive.
  40. ^ "BART to Playoffs". Oakland Tribune. October 5, 1974. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "BART service for playoffs". The San Francisco Examiner. October 4, 1974. p. 57 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ^ a b Roberts, Justin (November 27, 1974). "BART ramp repair to cost $150,000". Contra Costa Times. pp. 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ "Coliseum Walkway Closed". Oakland Tribune. October 19, 1974 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  44. ^ Kusserow, H. W. (July 25, 1975). "BART stalls Oakland airport". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ^ "Repaired BART Walkway Open". Oakland Tribune. October 20, 1975. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ^ "BART, architects to split costs". The Argus. January 31, 1976. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ^ "BART airport service starts". The Berkeley Gazette. July 1, 1977. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  48. ^ 1976/77 Annual Report. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. 1977. p. 7 – via Internet Archive.
  49. ^ Norberg, Bob (June 8, 1977). "BART proposes redesigning of Fremont station". The Argus. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  50. ^ "Council to Rescue Coliseum Walkway Firms". Oakland Tribune. September 2, 1977. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  51. ^ Evangelista, Benny (September 24, 1990). "Commute train service back on track". Oakland Tribune. pp. A-6, A-8 – via Newspapers.com.
  52. ^ "OAKLAND/ Coliseum to get new Amtrak station". CT Insider. September 26, 2003. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  53. ^ "BART-Oakland International Airport Connector Final Environmental Impact Report/ Final Environmental Impact Statement Volume I – Final Environmental Impact Statement Volume I – Final Environmental Impact Statement" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. March 2002.
  54. ^ a b Healy, Michael (2016). BART: The Dramatic History of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System. Heyday. pp. 341–345. ISBN 9781597143707.
  55. ^ Jones, Carolyn (October 8, 2009). "Oakland unexpectedly OKs BART airport extension". San Francisco Chronicle.
  56. ^ "BART's Oakland Airport Connector one year away from completion". Railway Track & Structures. September 13, 2013.
  57. ^ "New BART service to Oakland International Airport now open" (Press release). Bay Area Rapid Transit. November 21, 2014.
  58. ^ "Local Leaders, Agencies, Developers Celebrate Completion of Innovative Housing Project with Grand Opening of Coliseum Connections" (Press release). City of Oakland. April 4, 2019.
  59. ^ "Transit-oriented development takes off at BART: Coliseum Connections" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. June 26, 2020.
  60. ^ "Coliseum mural giving voice to Oakland students to be unveiled" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. August 20, 2020.
  61. ^ "New Fare Gates & Station Hardening". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. July 2023. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023.

External links[edit]

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