MacArthur station (BART)

MacArthur station

Company type	Rapid transit station
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	September 11, 1972 (1972-09-11)
Headquarters	Oakland, California , United States
Products	Bay Area Rapid Transit services (Orange, Yellow, Red lines)

MacArthur station is a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) facility located in Oakland's Temescal District. Distinguished as the largest BART station, it uniquely includes four platform tracks. The station is designed to facilitate cross-platform transfers specifically for southbound routes. Positioned within the median of SR 24, just north of its junction with I-580, the station is aligned perpendicular to both 40th Street and MacArthur Boulevard. Primarily surrounded by low-density residential neighborhoods, MacArthur serves predominantly as a commuter transit hub.

History

By August 1965, the city of Oakland favored the name "MacArthur" for the station instead of BART's initial choice, "Oakland North".<ref> In October 1965, a BART committee selected "MacArthur," dismissing the alternative "Temescal".<ref> The official approval by the BART Board came in December 1965.<ref>

The station commenced operations on September 11, 1972, acting as the northern endpoint of BART's first line (currently known as the Orange Line) extending to . Although elevator installation was postponed due to a nationwide strike, it was completed shortly after the station's opening.<ref><ref> Service expanded northward to on January 29, 1973. Additionally, a second route between MacArthur and (now the Yellow Line) began on May 21, 1973, later extending to San Francisco with the inauguration of the Transbay Tube on September 16, 1974. Service between Richmond and Daly City via MacArthur (presently the Red Line) started on April 19, 1976.<ref name=history>

The station is adorned with public artworks such as an abstract mural originally created by Mark Adams, which was replaced by two murals in 2000, along with tile mosaics by Adams and Alfonso Pardiñas located in the fare lobby.<ref name=bartart><ref> On July 22, 2018, a stabbing incident occurred at MacArthur resulting in a fatality.<ref> Sunday-only service on the Dublin/Pleasanton line was provided from February 11, 2019 until February 10, 2020.<ref><ref>

Starting in 1993, BART and the city of Oakland collaborated on transit-oriented development (TOD) plans aimed at redeveloping the surface parking lot east of the station.<ref name="village"> Construction began on a parking garage with a capacity of 450 vehicles in mid-2011 and it opened on September 15, 2014.<ref><ref><ref> Between 2013 and 2016, a residential building containing 90 units was completed, followed by a larger residential complex comprising 385 units and retail space constructed from 2015 through 2020.<ref> This latter project included improvements to the plaza area such as removal of planters, installation of new concrete surfaces, and addition of a bike station with space for 200 bicycles between June 2018 and August 2019.<ref>

The final stage of TOD involved constructing a 24-story residential tower with 403 units and retail space, finalized in early 2021.<ref name=completedtod><ref name=2024tod> As of 2024, plans for development on a smaller BART-owned site west of SR 24 are projected for the 2030s.

Station layout

MacArthur station comprises two island platforms serving four tracks that allow for convenient cross-platform interchanges. The outer tracks—1 and 2—accommodate the and lines; Track 1 transports passengers northbound toward , while Track 2 handles southbound trips to and San Francisco. The inner tracks—3 and 4—serve the line; Track 3 heads northbound to , whereas Track 4 moves southbound toward San Francisco. Transfers are chiefly optimized for southbound travelers, with facilitating northbound connections. During morning peak hours, heavy transfer activity causes congestion as many passengers board but relatively few disembark. Southbound trains converge onto a single track en route to downtown Oakland; trains bound for San Francisco depart ahead of those heading toward Berryessa.

Bus Connections

MacArthur station is accessible via multiple AC Transit lines: local route 57 runs along 40th Street, route 18 operates on Martin Luther King Jr. Way to the west, while route 6 and the All-nighter route 800 serve Telegraph Avenue to the east. Shuttle stops are located on Walter Miles Way, just east of the station entrance, accommodating services such as the Early Bird Express route 705, Emery-Go-Round buses connecting to Emeryville, the Caltrans Bay Bridge Bike Shuttle, three Kaiser Shuttle routes, and four shuttle lines for Alta Bates.

External Links

• BART – MacArthur