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12th Street Oakland City Center station

From Alfawiki
12th Street/Oakland City Center station
Company typeRapid transit station
IndustryPublic transportation
FoundedSeptember 11, 1972; 54 years ago (1972-09-11) in Oakland, California, United States
Headquarters
Oakland
,
United States
ProductsBay Area Rapid Transit services (Orange, Yellow, Red lines)

12th Street/Oakland City Center station (displayed as 12th St/Oakland) is a subterranean Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) facility located beneath Broadway, spanning the area between 12th and 14th Streets in Downtown Oakland, adjacent to the Oakland City Center complex. The station consists of three underground tiers, with rail lines situated on the second and third levels. It accommodates the , , and routes, along with surface-level connections to AC Transit bus services.

Commissioned in 1972 as part of BART's inaugural segment, the station saw expansion during the KE Track project from 1980 to 1986, which introduced a third track. Between 1992–2002 and again from 2004–2010, it functioned as a coordinated transfer hub for northbound trains. The launch of the bus rapid transit system in 2020 further improved surface transit access.

Station layout

This station is structured across three underground floors: the first level contains the concourse equipped with ticket vending machines and fare gates; the second level features an island platform serving two northbound tracks (C1 and CX) for trains heading toward and ; and the third level holds a side platform with one southbound track (C2) for services bound for or San Francisco.[1][2] The station’s red brick interior contrasts with the predominantly blue-themed design found at nearby 19th Street Oakland station.[3]

There are eight public access points: two entrances on 12th Street, three along 13th Street, two on 14th Street (one providing access from Frank H. Ogawa Plaza), plus an underground entry from the Oakland City Center plaza near 13th Street. Elevators at street level are available at Ogawa Plaza and the southwest corner of 12th Street; a platform elevator is positioned at the southern end of the station.[1] An unused corridor extends directly to the Central Building at the northern extremity.[4][5]

Bus connections

Downtown Oakland acts as a major transfer point for AC Transit buses that stop along Broadway and nearby streets:[6]

  • Rapid: 1T, 72R
  • Local: Routes 6, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 29, 33, 40, 51A, 72, 72M, 88, and 96
  • All-Nighter: Routes 1T, 800, 802, 805, 840, and 851

Route 1T utilizes dedicated platforms at two locations: 14th Street on Broadway near the northern end and City Center close to Broadway on both northbound (12th Street) and southbound (11th Street) sides at the southern end.[6]

History

Designed by Gerard McCue and Associates alongside and , this station opened its doors on September 11, 1972, as part of BART’s original network segment. Initial discussions over naming concluded with 12th Street Oakland by December of 1965; it was later renamed Oakland City Center/12th Street in 1971 to acknowledge its proximity to the adjacent development. Throughout the 1970s, service expanded to connect Richmond with San Francisco.

Due to city restrictions on sidewalk kiosks at that time, an elevator was not included initially. However, a $1.47 million renovation—partially funded by a $1.17 million federal grant—added an elevator, escalators, and a new entrance from City Center plaza in 1976. A second elevator was later installed at Ogawa Plaza in 2002.

Originally constructed with side platforms flanking one track each, the KE Track project (1980–1986) transformed the upper platform into an island platform by adding a west track (Track CX) to facilitate directional service during peak hours. Timed transfers between Richmond–Fremont and Concord–Daly City lines commenced in 1992 utilizing this configuration but were halted in 2002 before resuming in 2004. In 2010, the northbound transfer point shifted to 19th Street Oakland station.

Around 2008, the station's name was revised to 12th Street Oakland City Center. From February 2019 until February 2020, Sunday-only service on the Dublin/Pleasanton line was provided due to Transbay Tube maintenance. During the COVID-19 pandemic from April 2020 through June 2021, four out of six entrances were closed.

Construction for the Oakland–San Leandro East Bay Bus Rapid Transit line—later branded Tempo—began in August 2016. Service for route 1T started on August 9, 2020, featuring surface stations at both the 14th Street and City Center locations. Installation of second-generation faregates at this station began in December 2024.

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named layout
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ketrack
  3. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). Template:Open access
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named feb1968
  5. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named stops
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