The wait is almost over for East County residents. Bay Area Rapid Transit to Antioch will open for passenger service on Saturday, May 26, 2018. To celebrate, BART will hold a community ribbon-cutting celebration on Friday, May 25, 2018 at 11am at the new Antioch Station featuring free preview train rides and local entertainment.
New service is fast, clean, and comfortable
The service between the Pittsburg/Bay Point Station and Antioch is 10 miles long and adds two new stations. The extension will be able to carry an estimated 2,400 people in each direction, per hour, during rush hours.
“This is a new dawn for transit in this part of the Bay Area,” said BART Director Joel Keller, who serves East Contra Costa County and led efforts to bring the extension to the region. “Making this visionary project a reality took the long-term dedication of East County residents, and the commitment of many local, regional, state, and federal leaders.”
BART to Antioch is part of the Highway 4 Widening Project, which expanded Highway 4 between Pittsburg and Brentwood. The combined project was designed to bring commute relief as soon as possible with minimal disruption to the traveling public.
The $525 million cost of the extension is about half of the $1 billion cost estimated for extending BART’s traditional electric-powered line.
Quiet DMU trains offer a smooth ride
The extension marks the first time BART is using Diesel Multiple Units or DMU train cars. They meet the US Government’s strictest emissions standards and use renewable diesel from hydrogenated vegetable oil.
The DMUs run on their own tracks in the median of State Route 4 and connect with the existing BART system at a Transfer Platform just outside of the Pittsburg/Bay Point Station.
The trains boast a variety of amenities including digital signs, automated audio announcements, and modern climate control systems for those hot summer months.
Two new stations
The new Pittsburg Center Station is located at the Railroad Avenue overpass of Highway 4 in Pittsburg. The new Antioch Station is located at 1600 Slatten Ranch Road in Antioch.
Schedule
The BART to Antioch schedule has been incorporated into our QuickPlanner, which can be found on the bart.gov homepage.
Community celebration open house
The public is invited to share the excitement with BART at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, May 25, 2018 at 11 a.m. at the Antioch Station. Free preview train rides will be provided all day and into the evening.
