EBART

eBART
Company type	Public transit service
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	2018; 8 years ago
Headquarters	Contra Costa County, United States
Area served	Eastern Contra Costa County, California
Products	Hybrid rail transit service (diesel multiple units)

eBART (East Contra Costa County BART extension) represents a hybrid rail system combining elements of light rail and commuter rail that operates as a branch of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) network serving eastern Contra Costa County, California, United States. This service extends the Yellow Line past the Pittsburg/Bay Point station terminus to reach Antioch station. The American Public Transportation Association categorizes eBART as a form of commuter rail.

Because of differing track gauges and the use of diesel propulsion, eBART functions independently from the main BART rapid transit network and is not interoperable with it. Passengers switch trains via a cross-platform transfer at a dedicated island platform situated roughly 0.6 miles east of Pittsburg/Bay Point station. From this transfer point, the line continues approximately 8.6 miles eastward within the median of State Route 4, terminating at Hillcrest Avenue station in Antioch. On official BART maps, this extension is incorporated as part of the line.

Development

A feasibility study conducted in 2001 recommended expanding BART service into eastern Contra Costa County by deploying diesel multiple units (DMUs) on standard gauge tracks within an existing railroad corridor, aiming to reduce expenses compared to a full BART extension featuring broad-gauge, fully grade-separated infrastructure. The DMU approach was projected to cost up to two and a half times less than implementing conventional BART over the same stretch. Since available DMUs did not comply with Federal Railroad Administration crashworthiness standards, the design necessitated exclusive track usage or scheduled operational separation from freight rail traffic. The plan incorporated provisions for eventual conversion to broad-gauge BART utilizing newly constructed infrastructure.

Early designs from 2002 envisioned DMU trains running in the median of California State Route 4 east of Pittsburg/Bay Point, crossing over the freeway at Loveridge Road before proceeding east along the Union Pacific Railroad Tracy Subdivision (also known as the Mococo Line). This alignment paralleled SR 4 and the BNSF Stockton Subdivision corridor from Martinez toward Oakley. At Oakley, eBART would veer southeast within the same right-of-way, concluding service at Byron. The existing freight line was slated for relocation within the corridor to accommodate double-track eBART operations; at that time, much of the Mococo Line was dormant and utilized primarily for storing freight cars.

The initial proposal featured five stations spanning roughly 23 miles, positioned near intersections where the Mococo Line crosses Somersville Road (serving Pittsburg/Antioch), Hillcrest Avenue (Antioch), Empire Avenue (Oakley), Central Avenue (Brentwood), and downtown Byron. By 2005, plans added a sixth station located in Pittsburg along Railroad Avenue within the SR 4 median, while relocating the Somersville Road stop eastward to Antioch Fairgrounds close to L Street.

Finalized plans

Following Union Pacific's refusal to grant trackage rights or authorize new track construction along their line, planners integrated the route with an existing SR 4 improvement project that extended tracks east of Loveridge Road within the highway median. Union Pacific required retention of the Mococo Line to alleviate freight congestion on its Martinez Subdivision. The SR 4 Bypass initiative expanded and lengthened the freeway while introducing local street bypasses in Brentwood and Antioch. By the time of the 2008 draft environmental impact report (DEIR), plans had been scaled back to include only two stations: Pittsburg (Railroad Avenue) and Antioch (Hillcrest Avenue), with a transfer platform established near Pittsburg/Bay Point station. The DEIR also evaluated alternative terminal locations in Antioch to maintain flexibility for future expansion along the Mococo Line corridor.

Projected weekday ridership ranged from 3,900 to 5,600 boardings and alightings upon a planned 2015 launch, increasing to an estimated 10,100 daily by 2030 with trains running every 15 minutes. The anticipated travel duration from the transfer platform to Antioch was approximately 13 minutes including stops. Fuel efficiency for a single DMU car was estimated at about 1.38 miles per gallon (US).

Other options assessed included bus rapid transit (BRT) with dedicated lanes, overhead electric light rail vehicles (LRVs), and traditional BART heavy rail service. Cost projections placed eBART with DMUs at $486 million; comparable BRT alternatives ranged between $393 million and $611 million; LRV implementation was estimated at $528 million; while a full-scale BART extension was forecasted to cost $1.173 billion.

Funding and construction

In 2004, voters in Contra Costa approved a sales tax increase to finance the system's extension. The BART board gave project approval in April 2009, estimating costs at $463 million—substantially less than the $1.2 billion forecasted for a complete BART expansion. On October 14, 2010, BART awarded a $26 million contract to West Bay Builders, based in Novato, for constructing the transfer platform and rail infrastructure improvements extending to Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch.

Construction commenced in early 2011. Although initial funding for the Railroad Avenue station in Pittsburg was uncertain, the city secured full financing by early 2015. The station officially opened in 2018 along with the remainder of the extension.

Start of service

Revenue operations launched on May 26, 2018. Within the first three weekdays, the newly opened stations registered 7,441 daily customer entries and exits. Meanwhile, ridership and parking usage at the former terminal, Pittsburg/Bay Point, experienced a decline. The station’s design and operational compromises attracted criticism from Streetsblog.

Future

As of 2018, while not fully planned or funded, there are proposals to extend the eBART line further to Oakley, Byron, or Brentwood’s Transit Center. During planning for Antioch station, it was observed that extending along the SR 4 median would only be feasible up to Balfour Road in Brentwood without expanding the freeway; however, obtaining right-of-way alongside the Mococo Line could permit an extension reaching Laurel Road in Brentwood.

In 2017, the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission suggested that eBART might be extended to Tracy Transit Center to connect with Altamont Corridor Express and the proposed Valley Link line. This potential extension hinges on securing rights to share the Mococo Line corridor from Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR), which could establish a transit loop linking BART’s Yellow Line (Pittsburg/Bay Point) and Blue Line (Dublin/Pleasanton).

Stations

All eBART stations are situated within Contra Costa County.

Station	City	Opened	Other BART lines
Template:Bart	Antioch	May 26, 2018
Template:Bart	Pittsburg	May 26, 2018
Template:Bart	Pittsburg	December 7, 1996	Template:Ric

Rolling stock

The eBART service utilizes eight paired Stadler GTW trainsets, with initial deliveries arriving in June 2016. BART retains options to procure six additional units. These diesel multiple units feature articulated power modules arranged as 2/6 and are modeled after similar trains operating on Austin’s Capital MetroRail, Denton’s A-train, and New Jersey’s River Line.

External links