Oakland Coliseum station

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.

Oakland Coliseum
BART and Oakland Airport Connector platforms in 2017
Location	700 73rd Avenue (Amtrak)[1] 7200 San Leandro Street (BART)[2] Oakland, California
Coordinates	37°45′09″N 122°11′53″W (Amtrak) 37°45′13″N 122°11′49″W (BART)
Owned by	City of Oakland, BART, Union Pacific Railroad[1]
Line(s)	UP Niles Subdivision (Amtrak station)[3] BART A-Line[4] Oakland Airport Connector
Platforms	1 side platform (Amtrak) 1 island platform (BART) 1 side platform (Oakland Airport Connector)
Tracks	3 (Amtrak) 2 (BART) 1 (Oakland Airport Connector)
Bus stands	6
Connections	AC Transit: 45, 46, 46L, 73, 90, 98, 356, 646, 657, 805 Alameda County East Oakland Shuttle Harbor Bay Business Park Shuttle
Construction
Parking	35 spaces (Amtrak) 847 spaces (BART)[5][6]
Bicycle facilities	18 lockers and racks
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	OAC (Amtrak)
History
Opened	September 11, 1972 (BART) June 6, 2005 (Amtrak)
Rebuilt	November 22, 2014 (Airport connector opened)
Previous names	Coliseum (1972–1977) Coliseum/Oakland Airport (1977–2014)
Traffic
Passengers (2020)	4,554 (weekday average)[7] (BART)
Passengers (2018)	87,842 (annual)[8][9]  14% (Amtrak)
Rank	31st in California[8] (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 Richmond Berryessa/​North San José–​Richmond San Leandro toward Berryessa/​North San José Fruitvale toward Daly City Berryessa/​North San José–​Daly City Dublin/​Pleasanton–​Daly City San Leandro toward Dublin/​Pleasanton Oakland International Airport Terminus Coliseum–​Oakland International Airport Terminus
Location

The main BART station opened in 1972, serving the then-new Oakland Coliseum and surrounding East Oakland neighborhood. The Amtrak platform was added in 2005, providing a connection between BART and Amtrak's Capitol Corridor service. In 2014, the complex became the terminus of the Coliseum–Oakland International Airport line, thus connecting Oakland International Airport to rail transit. The station also serves as a transfer point for AC Transit buses and business park shuttles.

History

A Capitol Corridor train at Oakland Coliseum in November 2017

Coliseum station opened as part of the first segment of the BART system on September 11, 1972.[10] It was soon connected to its namesake, the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum/Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena sports complex, by a 950-foot (290 m) pedestrian bridge over San Leandro Street and the Union Pacific Railroad's right-of-way located adjacent to the sports complex.[11] The bridge initially opened for a brief period in October 1974 for the American League playoffs and the 1974 World Series; it closed on October 18 due to excessive swaying, but reopened in 1975.[12][13] AirBART bus service to Oakland International Airport began on July 1, 1977, and the station was renamed Coliseum/Oakland Airport to reflect the new connection to the airport.[14]

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 at 16th Street station, then Jack London Square station when it replaced the former. Capitol Corridor service began in 1991, but did not initially stop at the Oakland Coliseum site.[1] 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 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]

BART considered plans for a rail link to the airport as early as 1970, including a bi-directional loop off the main line, but planning did not gain strength until the early 1990s.[15][16] Oakland City Council approved the 3.2-mile (5.1 km) Oakland Airport Connector automated guideway transit line in 2009, and construction on the line began in October 2010.[17][16] The now renamed Coliseum–Oakland International Airport line's Coliseum station opened along with the rest of the line on November 21, 2014, and AirBART service was subsequently discontinued. The conventional BART station's name reverted to Coliseum, allowing the Coliseum–Oakland International Airport line's terminus station at the airport to be named Oakland International Airport station.[18][19]

Station layout

The pedestrian bridge connects the sports venues to the Amtrak station (shown) and BART station

Amtrak station

The Amtrak station is an unstaffed grade-level station at the western end of the 73rd Avenue cul-de-sac with few passenger amenities beyond separate sets of benches sheltered by open-air canopies; a formerly-present QuikTrak ticket machine was removed due to vandalism issues.[20] The Union Pacific Railroad's 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 serving Capitol Corridor trains.[3] Oakland Coliseum is primarily served by through trains between Sacramento and San Jose, but also functions as a part-time terminal for some Capitol Corridor service traveling to/from Sacramento. Capitol Corridor trains regularly meet at the CP Coliseum interlocking immediately south of the station since the service's operation is primarily single-tracked between Oakland and San Jose. An accessible ramp structure connects the platform to the pedestrian bridge.[21]

Side platform
Station siding[3]	←      Capitol Corridor toward Auburn (Oakland – Jack London Square); toward San Jose (Hayward)→
Track 2[3]	← UP mainline;      Coast Starlight does not stop here →
Track 1[3]	← UP mainline; Coast Starlight does not stop here →

BART station

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

The BART station is a three-level elevated station, with fare control and concessions located on the ground level east of San Leandro Street underneath the northern end of the platform.[21] Conventional BART trains serve an island platform between two tracks on the elevated second level. Union Pacific's grade-level Oakland Subdivision (which is proposed to be converted to a rail trail) parallels BART immediately to the east, separating the station from the adjacent Coliseum neighborhood.[22] A stairlift-equipped accessible pedestrian underpass tunnel runs underneath the Union Pacific right-of-way and connects the fare control area with the parking area and Snell Street.[21][23] 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.

Track 2	←      Dublin/​Pleasanton–​Daly City toward Daly City (Fruitvale) ←      Berryessa/​North San José–​Richmond toward Richmond (Fruitvale) ←      Berryessa/​North San José–​Daly City toward Daly City (Fruitvale)
Island platform
Track 1	→      Dublin/​Pleasanton–​Daly City toward Dublin/​Pleasanton (San Leandro) → →      Berryessa/​North San José–​Richmond toward Berryessa/​North San José (San Leandro) → →      Berryessa/​North San José–​Daly City toward Berryessa/North San José (San Leandro) →

Coliseum–Oakland International Airport line

The Coliseum–Oakland International Airport line has one track and one side platform on the third level, with a connection and fare control from the southern end of the main BART platform. It has no direct non-emergency street access and can only be reached from the main BART platform.[21] Unlike conventional BART stations, platform screen doors provide a barrier between the platform and the guideway of the driverless system, making Coliseum one of the first BART stations to feature platform screen doors. The fare for the Coliseum–Oakland International Airport line is charged at Coliseum in both directions.[24]

Track 3	←      Coliseum–​Oakland International Airport toward Oakland International Airport (Terminus)
Side platform

Bus service

AC Transit buses at the station in 2017

The Oakland Coliseum station is (along with Fruitvale station) one of the main bus-rail interchanges for East Oakland, and is served 24/7 by various bus services connecting the station with surrounding neighborhoods. It is served by ten AC Transit bus routes, which stop on both sides of San Leandro Street at the station:[21][25]

• Local routes 45, 46, 73, 90, and 98
• All Nighter route 805
• Limited-stop route 46L
• School routes 646 and 657
• Special service route 356

Several fare-free local shuttle routes stop at the BART passenger loading zone on the southeastern corner of San Leandro Street and 71st Avenue.[21] The Alameda County East Oakland Shuttle connects the station with county offices at Eastmont Town Center, Edgewater Drive, and Enterprise Way.[26] The nearby Harbor Bay Business Park also offers a pair of shuttle bus routes to the station.[27][28]

References

1. "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. 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. "Monthly Ridership Reports". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. February 2020.
8. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2018, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak Government Affairs. June 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
9. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2017, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak Government Affairs. November 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
10. "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.
11. Hartlaub, Peter (June 12, 2019). "A tribute to the Coliseum BART pedestrian walkway, accidental East Bay treasure". San Francisco Chronicle.
12. "Coliseum Walkway Closed". Oakland Tribune. October 19, 1974 – via Newspapers.com.
13. 1974/75 Annual Report. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. 1975. p. 5 – via Internet Archive.
14. 1976/77 Annual Report. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. 1977. p. 7 – via Internet Archive.
15. "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.
16. Healy, Michael (2016). BART: The Dramatic History of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System. Heyday. pp. 341–345. ISBN 9781597143707.
17. Jones, Carolyn (October 8, 2009). "Oakland unexpectedly OKs BART airport extension". San Francisco Chronicle.
18. "BART's Oakland Airport Connector one year away from completion". Railway Track & Structures. September 13, 2013.
19. "New BART service to Oakland International Airport now open" (Press release). Bay Area Rapid Transit. November 21, 2014.
20. Hawkins, Sharron (October 3, 2012). "Amtrak database of train stations, 2012 – Government Attic". Amtrak. Retrieved February 18, 2018 – via GovernmentAttic.
21. "Transit Stops: Coliseum Station, Oakland" (PDF). Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. April 3, 2019.
22. Alta Planning + Design, Inc. (November 2009). "The Union Pacific Railroad Oakland Subdivision Corridor Improvement Study". Alameda County Public Works Agency.
23. "BART Parking: Coliseum" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
24. Cabanatuan, Michael (June 13, 2014). "$6 rides for BART's Oakland Airport Connector". San Francisco Chronicle.
25. "Schedules & Fares: Coliseum Station, Oakland" (PDF). Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. February 21, 2020.
26. "Shuttles to County Buildings". Alameda County. March 23, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
27. City of Alameda Public Works Department (February 15, 2012). "Report for: City of Alameda TSM/TDM Plan" (PDF). p. 20.
28. "Transportation". Harbor Bay Business Park Association. Retrieved April 1, 2020.

External links

• Oakland Coliseum – Amtrak
• BART: Coliseum
• Capitol Corridor: Oakland Coliseum (OAC)
• Amtrak – Great American Stations: Oakland Coliseum (OAC)
• Trainweb – USA Rail Guide: Oakland Coliseum, CA (OAC)