New BART station slated for completion in 2026
Travel // Transit
Amanda Bartlett, SFGATE
1of20FILE - BART riders wait for a train at the Fruitvale station on Friday, Aug. 4, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. Officials confirmed Thursday that a new station is underway in Fremont.Noah Berger / Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
2of20FILE - Riders and the Warm Springs BART station on first day of service, Saturday, March 25, 2017 in Fremont, CA. The new station will be just north of this one.Eric Kayne/Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
Here are some of the craziest BART secrets.
Stephen Lam/The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
The last tube section of the Transbay Tube was laid down in April of 1969. The first test train wouldn't actually go through the Tube until August of 1973. In August of 1969, with the tube connected but not yet operational, BART allowed the public to "walk, run, or ride a bike under the bay." (Healy, p. 126) Thousands took part in the unique opportunity.
Duke Downey / The Chronicle 1967Show MoreShow Less
If you ride the Richmond line today, you'll notice your train will go underground starting at the Ashby station and remain so until it rises above ground in Albany, eventually pulling into the El Cerrito Plaza station. It wasn't originally supposed to be this way. The city of Berkeley and BART fought bitterly over whether the trains should remain elevated. Berkeley maintained an elevated line would be a "behemoth intrusion." (Healy, p. 96) BART, on the other hand, thought the plan was far too expensive. Eventually, Berkeley got its way: Voters approved millions of dollars in bonds to pay for burying the trains underground.
Sam Whiting/The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
Emperor Norton is, understandably, one of San Francisco's most famous historical characters. What many may not realize is the man predicted the eventual creation of the Transbay Tube back in 1872 — 100 years before BART began operating. "Whereas, we issued our decree, ordering the citizens of San Francisco and Oakland to appropriate funds for the survey of a suspension bridge from Oakland Point via Goat Island; also for a tunnel; and to ascertain which is the best project," Norton wrote, according to Healy, in a decree to San Francisco newspapers.
Bettman Archive / Getty ImagesShow MoreShow Less
Ron Dellums would someday become a legendary U.S. Representative, but in 1967, he was a Berkeley city councilmember. Even after all of Berkeley's lobbying, the Ashby Station itself was still slated to be built partially above ground. Dellums led a "citizens' revolt," according to Healy, and eventually worked to bring the case to court. Dellums and the citizens won, and the station was built underground.
Lennox McLendon/Associated PressShow MoreShow Less
The whole story of the construction of the Transbay Tube is extremely wild, and I encourage you to pick up Healy's book to read the whole mind-blowing saga. One particularly striking part involves lasers. "One aspect of digging the trench was, at the time, like something out of a science fiction story," Healy writes. "Surveyors used seven laser beams, placed at fixed points on each side of the bay, to guide the dredging barges along the adopted alignment. The laser beams were left on night and day and could be seen from as far away as 5 miles." (Healy, p. 119)
Jessica Christian / The Chronicle 2018Show MoreShow Less
Kay Springer, a BART employee, was leading a tour of a tunnel under construction when the foreman informed her that only male visitors were allowed to enter the tunnel. The reason? It was considered "bad luck" for women to be in the tunneling area during construction. (Healy, p. 137) After a call to headquarters, the issue was rectified.
Art Frisch/San Francisco ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
BART began carrying paying passengers in September of 1972. Less than a month later, they faced their first crisis: on Oct. 2, 1972, the lead car on a Fremont-bound train landed in the Fremont Station parking lot. Press called it the "Fremont Flyer." (Healy, p. 185) Nobody was hurt, thankfully.
The West Oakland station was, at first, named the Oakland West station. Many in the community took issue with the Oakland West name, calling it "disrespectful" to decline to use the neighborhood's historic name. (Healy, p. 225) Among those who protested for a name change were members of the Black Panther Party, who attended many BART board meetings to speak on this issue and other potential displacement concerns.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
12of20BART police officers didn't always look like police officers. When BART first opened, "security" wore blue blazers and slacks. That look was quickly ditched. "We found there was simply a lack of respect and credibility," former BART police chief Gary Gee told Healy (p. 227).Jessica Christian / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
13of20On Jan. 26, 1977, BART wanted to celebrate reaching the milestone of its hundred-millionth passenger. Healy tells the story of he and the general manager, Frank Herringer, showing up at Embarcadero Station and just picking a passenger at random to be the symbol of this achievement. The press showed up in droves, along with their lights and cameras. Unfortunately, the woman they picked "did not speak very good English" and "looked absolutely terrified." (Healy, p. 233) After speaking briefly, she left in a hurry.Stephen Lam/The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
14of20In what might be the most terrifying moment in BART history, the rear car of a train passing through the Transbay Tube caught fire on an Oakland-bound train in January of 1979. The passengers were required to exit the train through an emergency exit. 17 passengers, 24 firefighters, and 12 BART employees needed to receive treatment after inhaling smoke. (Healy, p. 239) William Elliott, a battalion chief in the Oakland Fire Department, passed away from smoke inhalation.
The Tube was closed for months afterwards, as BART worked to improve its fire safety procedures.
San Francisco Chronicle archivesShow MoreShow Less
15of20You'd think BART would be eager to partner with The Simpsons on some sort of cross-promotional stunt. In reality, it was BART that actually turned down The Simpsons in 1989. Producers approached Healy with a plan to do a Bart Simpson "tie-in" on the show, which had yet to debut on Fox. Healy "did not think BART should be associated with such a character, and so rejected the overture from the producers." (Healy, p. 270) Show MoreShow Less
16of20The Loma Prieta earthquake hit San Francisco on Oct. 17, 1989. As the earth shook, two BART trains were in the Transbay Tube. According to Healy, passengers on the trains at the time felt nothing, and were surprised to hear there had been an earthquake at all. Jerry TelferShow MoreShow Less
Artichoke Joe's Casino, located in San Bruno, was concerned that the San Francisco Airport extension would wipe out its parking. Evidently, Artichoke Joe's had quite the customer base, and therefore held a decent amount of sway. Healy reports Artichoke Joe's owner, Dennis Sammut, paid $260,000 to a Washington lobbyist to argue that the route should go around his business. It's unclear whether Sammut's investment was successful. (Healy, p. 304)
Liz Mangelsdorf/The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
18of20Parts of the SFO Airport extension ran through wetlands, and as a result, BART needed to take precautions to protect animals along the route that were on the endangered species list. For one of those species — the San Francisco garter snake — the transit district moved the snakes to what was called "The Snake Motel," a special safe house that was supervised by a field expert. (Healy, p. 309) Show MoreShow Less
19of20Wouldn't it be great if could order a martini on your morning commute? Probably not, honestly, but in 1994, BART had a creative idea to address a budget crunch. A BART director named Wilfred Ussery "put out the idea that BART could add considerably to its revenue stream by adding a 'bar car' to the trains with the longest run." Alas, it was never to be. (Healy, p. 319)Kim Brent/Kim Brent/The EnterpriseShow MoreShow Less
BART baby! On July 21, 1996, a baby named Stephay Ann Marie Ehler was born on a BART train that was headed to the South Hayward station. The BART board later presented Ehler with a lifetime BART pass.
Michael Short / Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
A new BART station is underway in the city of Fremont, the BART Board of Directors confirmed Thursday morning. After a vote, they agreed to move forward with the proposed Irvington Station, which will be located near the intersection of Osgood Road and Washington Boulevard.
BART anticipates that construction on the two-story station will begin after 2022, and expects it to be completed in 2026. Irvington Station will be located south of the Fremont station, just before the Warm Springs/South Fremont stop.
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According to the bulletin, the updated plan calls for a "smaller, more cost-effective and neighborhood-friendly station" prioritizing accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists. BART says the approval of the plan will also take into account neighborhood concerns related to traffic safety, congestion and parking impacts near residential streets.
"This future station will be relatively small in scale but will provide a neighborhood feel and will complement the area and those that live nearby," said Paul Medved, BART's Manager of the Warm Springs Capital Program. "This new station concept is the product of a highly collaborative effort between the City of Fremont and BART and reflects the needs of the community while also encouraging new transit trips and fewer cars on the roads."
SEE ALSO: There are 7 types of ads you won't see on BART. Here's why.
Preliminary engineering efforts by BART have already begun. Next, Fremont residents can expect construction of the East Bay Greenway bicycle trails adjacent to the station, as well as additional maintenance of the historic Gallegos Winery ruins so that site can be upheld to city park standards.
Amanda Bartlett is an SFGate editorial assistant. Email: amanda.bartlett@sfchronicle.com
Amanda Bartlett
Amanda Bartlett is a culture reporter for SFGATE. Prior to joining the newsroom in 2019, she worked for the Roxie Theater, Noise Pop and Frameline Film Festival. Bartlett graduated from the University of Iowa and lives in San Francisco.