Lafayette station (BART)
Lafayette station serves as a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stop located in Lafayette, California. It consists of a single island platform situated within the central median of California State Route 24, positioned just to the south of the Lafayette Hillside Memorial. The station is part of the network served by the Yellow Line.
History
In December 1965, the BART Board officially designated the name "Lafayette" for this station. Operations commenced on May 21, 1973. Within the fare lobby, there are three tile mosaic columns created by Helen Webber and assembled by Alfonso Pardiñas; initially, Webber selected a purple background but altered it to blue after community feedback linked purple to the contentious People's Park.
Following BART’s introduction in the 1970s, AC Transit began providing local bus services under contract throughout central Contra Costa County. This service, which started serving Lafayette station on September 13, 1976, was financially supported by the cities of Moraga and Orinda. On June 7, 1982, these operations were transferred to County Connection.
In October 2011, BART received criticism for allocating $2 million toward constructing a wheelchair ramp at the station’s southern entrance despite the absence of curb cuts or accessible parking in that area. The ramp mainly connected to a pathway leading toward Lafayette’s commercial district, with plans to add curb cuts at a later stage. Additionally, from April to July 2021, the station was not accessible due to replacement work on elevator hydraulic cylinders.
As of , BART intends to invite developers between 2029 and 2033 for transit-oriented development initiatives aimed at replacing Lafayette station’s surface parking areas.