Oakland Coliseum station

Coliseum station

Company type	Public transit station
Industry	Transportation
Founded	1972
Headquarters	Oakland, California , United States
Products	Rail transit services (BART, Amtrak Capitol Corridor), bus connections, Oakland Airport Connector

The combined transit facility of Amtrak's Oakland Coliseum station and BART's Coliseum station is situated in East Oakland, Oakland, California, United States. Positioned approximately apart, these two stations are interconnected and provide access to the Oakland Coliseum/Oakland Arena sports complex via a pedestrian bridge designed for accessibility. The BART station accommodates the Orange, Green, and Blue lines, while the Amtrak station serves the Capitol Corridor route.

Established in 1972, the BART station supports transit needs in the Oakland Coliseum vicinity as well as surrounding neighborhoods. The addition of the Amtrak platform in 2005 created one of only two transfer locations linking BART and Amtrak services. In 2014, this transit hub became the endpoint for the Oakland Airport Connector, which provides a direct connection to Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport. Furthermore, it operates as a transfer point for AC Transit buses and shuttles servicing nearby business parks.

BART station

The BART facility is an elevated structure spanning three levels. On the ground floor, located east of San Leandro Street beneath the northern end of the platform, are the fare control area and concession stands. The conventional BART trains utilize an island platform situated on the second level above ground. Adjacent to the station’s east side runs the grade-level Union Pacific Railroad (UP) Oakland Subdivision, which acts as a boundary separating it from the nearby Coliseum neighborhood. An accessible pedestrian underpass equipped with a stairlift passes beneath the Union Pacific right-of-way, linking fare control with parking facilities and Snell Street. Taxi services are available on San Leandro Street just north of 71st Avenue, with an additional pickup zone near the bicycle locker area on Snell Street. A pedestrian bridge crosses over San Leandro Street and UP’s Niles Subdivision tracks, connecting the BART station directly to the Coliseum sports complex.

The Beige Line platform is located on the third level of this transit complex and consists of a single track with a side platform accessible only from within the main BART station. Unlike typical stations, this platform is separated from its driverless system guideway by platform screen doors. Fares for travel on this line are collected at Coliseum station regardless of direction. The platform walls feature A-Round Oakland, an installation by artist Gordon Huether valued at $300,000, composed of approximately 50 vibrant dichroic glass circles measuring between in diameter.

Amtrak station

Positioned at grade level at the western end of 73rd Avenue’s cul-de-sac, the Amtrak station operates without on-site staff and provides only basic amenities such as benches sheltered by open-air canopies. A previously installed QuikTrak ticket kiosk was removed after repeated vandalism incidents. The UP Niles Subdivision includes three tracks at this location: two mainline tracks used by Union Pacific freight trains and the Coast Starlight, alongside a siding track served by a single side platform catering to Capitol Corridor trains. Oakland Coliseum functions primarily as a stop for through-trains running between Sacramento and San Jose, while also serving as a terminus for certain Sacramento-bound Capitol Corridor routes. An accessible ramp connects this platform to the pedestrian bridge; it is adorned with Bottom of the Ninth, an artwork by Horace Washington featuring thirteen colored metal figures.

Bus service

Coliseum station functions as a major bus-rail transfer point for East Oakland, similar to Fruitvale station, with continuous service provided by several bus lines around the clock. Eight AC Transit routes serve stops on both sides of San Leandro Street:

• Local lines 45, 73, 90, and 98
• The All Nighter route 805
• Limited-stop line 46L
• School routes 646 and 657

Moreover, fare-free local shuttle services operate at the BART boarding area near San Leandro Street and 71st Avenue. These include the Alameda County East Oakland Shuttle, which connects to county offices at Eastmont Town Center, as well as shuttles serving the nearby Harbor Bay Business Park.

BART

The original 1960 BART system blueprint featured a station at 77th Avenue; however, by approximately 1963, plans shifted it northward to 73rd Avenue to better serve the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum and Coliseum Arena complex that opened in 1966. By 1965, the station was officially designated Coliseum. Early disagreements emerged between BART and Alameda County regarding funding for access between the station and the sports complex. Although a pedestrian bridge was proposed by 1967, it lacked necessary financial backing.

In June 1968, BART awarded a $1.13 million contract for constructing the station, which was designed to accommodate a future pedestrian walkway. By 1971, an agreement was reached between BART and Coliseum officials to share footbridge expenses; design efforts commenced in 1972 with funding contributions from BART ($125,000), the Coliseum ($375,000), and federal sources ($1 million). The project incorporated an elevator feature absent from the original station layout. The station officially opened on September 11, 1972, as part of BART's initial segment (–).

Elevator installation began in February 1973. Approval and bidding for the footbridge project occurred in May 1973; by mid-1974, construction progress reached approximately 80 percent completion. The footbridge debuted on October 5, 1974, coinciding with the American League playoffs and World Series but was soon closed due to excessive swaying concerns. BART financed reinforcement work approved in November 1974 and contracted in July 1975.

The footbridge reopened in October 1975 ahead of the American League Championship Series game on October 7. Arbitration in January 1976 mandated that architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill contribute partially toward the $64,000 strengthening cost; BART covered the remainder. On July 1, 1977, AirBART bus service commenced operations connecting the station to Oakland International Airport, leading to its renaming as Coliseum/Oakland Airport. Around 1978, increased fencing was installed on the footbridge following reports of objects being thrown onto businesses below.

Amtrak

The Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) inaugurated a station at Fitchburg near 77th Avenue on September 13, 1891, serving a newly developed residential area. Local trains—including Oakland– services introduced in 1895—stopped there. By 1899, a freight station operated at Kohler near 66th Avenue. In the early twentieth century, Fitchburg primarily functioned as a flag stop for local trains traveling between Oakland and destinations such as Niles, San Jose, or Livermore; Kohler handled freight exclusively. The SP's Stonehurst Branch opened in 1909 featured peak-hour Oakland–Stonehurst local trains stopping at both Kohler and Fitchburg stations. However, stops at Fitchburg were discontinued between 1912 and 1914; by August 1921, Stonehurst service dwindled to one daily round trip with both Kohler and Fitchburg stations closed. Mainline passenger services persisted until 1960 but did not include these stops.

In 1971 Amtrak took over most intercity passenger rail routes previously operated by SP. The long-distance Coast Starlight utilized the SP line between Oakland and San Jose but served only downtown Oakland stations: 16th Street station until its closure in 1994 and subsequently Oakland–Jack London Square station. Service under Capitols (later renamed Capitol Corridor) began in 1991; Oakland Coliseum was proposed as a stop in 1990. Nevertheless, in July 1994 the California Transportation Commission rescinded $2.1 million allocated for the Coliseum station project due to escalating costs and conflicts between Caltrans and SP (which Union Pacific Railroad acquired in 1997). Between 1999 and 2001 Amtrak operated Thruway bus connections linking Jack London Square with the Coliseum for Oakland Raiders games.

In March 2002 over $4 million was approved by the California Transportation Commission for developing an Oakland Coliseum station. Additional financing came from entities including the Oakland Redevelopment Agency, Caltrans, Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, and Alameda County Congestion Management Agency. This station formed part of an $88 million initiative announced in September 2002 aimed at enhancing Capitol Corridor frequency between Oakland and San Jose. Constructed on former railroad property and an automobile scrap yard requiring environmental cleanup, building commenced in September 2003 with initial completion targeted for spring of 2004. The Oakland Coliseum station officially opened on June 6, 2005 at a cost of $6.6 million; it features an accessible connection to the footbridge allowing grade-separated transfers between Capitol Corridor trains and BART services. Platform reconstruction costing $2.5 million to improve accessibility was finalized in 2021.

Oakland Airport Connector

Since the 1970s, BART has considered establishing a rail connection to Oakland International Airport, but substantial advancements did not occur until the early 1990s. In 2009, the Oakland City Council gave the green light to the Oakland Airport Connector, an automated guideway transit system. Construction commenced in October 2010, and BART later designated the route as the Coliseum-Oakland International Airport line. The Coliseum station along with the connector officially began operations on November 21, 2014, effectively replacing the former AirBART shuttle service. The station reverted to its original Coliseum name, while the airport terminal stop was identified as Oakland International Airport station.

During the early 2000s, plans for transit-oriented development (TOD) led to the replacement of a parking lot adjacent to the station with Coliseum Connections, a modular housing complex consisting of 110 mixed-income residences on a designated site. Constructed from November 2017 through April 2019, this development is leased from BART. Looking ahead to 2024, BART intends to invite developers to participate in a second phase of TOD slated between 2029 and 2033. Additionally, in August 2020, a mural created by seven students from Oakland Unified School District was revealed within the pedestrian tunnel.

Prior to 2020, thirteen BART stations—including Coliseum—did not have faregates for elevator users; installation began that year with Coliseum receiving its new elevator faregate in August 2020. The installation of second-generation faregates took place on the Oakland Airport Connector between September 15 and 20, 2024, followed by Coliseum station from October 27 through November 1. In 2024, wheelchair lifts located in the pedestrian tunnel were decommissioned, with replacements anticipated by May 2025.

External links

• BART: Coliseum
• Capitol Corridor: Oakland Coliseum (OAC)