Milpitas Transit Center

Milpitas Transit Center

Company type	Transit station
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	June 24, 2004 (2004-06-24) (as Montague light rail station)
Headquarters	Milpitas, California , United States
Area served	Milpitas, California and surrounding areas
Products	BART service, VTA light rail service, bus services (VTA and AC Transit)

Milpitas station, also known as the Milpitas Transit Center, functions as a key intermodal transportation facility situated near East Capitol Avenue and Montague Expressway in Milpitas, California, USA. It accommodates BART’s Orange and Green lines, the Orange Line of the VTA light rail network, in addition to bus services operated by VTA and AC Transit.

Originally opened as the elevated Montague light rail station in June 2004, it was rebranded as Milpitas in December 2019 with the introduction of a new bus plaza and a pedestrian bridge connection. The subterranean BART station, a component of the Silicon Valley BART extension, commenced operations in June 2020 alongside a parking structure, significantly improving transit integration across the region.

History

The VTA Light Rail facility began service under the name Montague on June 24, 2004, as part of the Tasman East extension project; initially, it did not offer parking amenities.

As part of the $2.3 billion phase I development of the Silicon Valley BART extension, the BART station is one of two northern stations constructed, with work starting in 2012. Owned by the VTA, its launch was postponed beyond the originally planned 2016 date.

In December 2019, the bus station servicing VTA and AC Transit opened concurrently with the renaming of the light rail station from Montague to Milpitas. The BART station officially opened following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 12, 2020, with passenger service beginning on June 13.

Construction of a 229-foot pedestrian bridge over Montague Expressway began in 2019 at an expense of $19.33 million; this bridge links to the second level of the parking garage and was inaugurated in July 2021.

Station layout

Located near East Capitol Avenue and Montague Expressway on Milpitas’s southern edge, the Milpitas station complex features BART tracks running north–south within a trench below street level. These tracks are served by two side platforms approximately long. The station building encompasses roughly , showcasing a wavy roof design complemented by three expansive circular skylights. Access points on both eastern and western sides lead into a central corridor containing fare gates on each side; stairs and escalators connect to the platform from both entrances, while elevators are available at the northern fare gate area.

Artistic elements adorn the BART station, including stained glass installations titled Ethos of Imagination by BJ Katz and Chris Klein positioned above the main entrance. Additionally, twenty platform support columns are wrapped in ceramic tile artwork named Ecstatic Voyaging by Amy Trachtenberg, drawing inspiration from the traditional ikat dyeing method.

The elevated light rail tracks extend northwest–southeast above East Capitol Avenue. Beneath its single island platform, a mezzanine provides access via stairs and an elevator to East Capitol Avenue’s median at South Milpitas Boulevard. A pedestrian bridge connects this mezzanine to the west side of the BART facility, featuring escalators and an elevator leading up to the plaza area.

Positioned west of the BART building, the bus plaza accommodates nine VTA routes (, , , , , , , , ) and one AC Transit route (217), serving as a crucial interchange between transit systems. Milpitas stands out as the only BART station served by both VTA and AC Transit services and is uniquely the sole VTA light rail stop with AC Transit service. Adjacent to the BART building on its eastern side is a six-level parking garage offering 1,631 paid spaces. Furthermore, beneath the pedestrian bridge lies an indoor bike parking facility with 185 paid spaces; free bicycle racks are also distributed around the station premises.

External links

• Overview of Milpitas Transit Center and Station
• Official Milpitas Transit Center & BART Station Project Page