Jump to content

El Cerrito del Norte station

Coordinates: 37°55′31″N 122°19′01″W / 37.925183°N 122.316939°W / 37.925183; -122.316939
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Zzyzx11 (talk | contribs) at 12:16, 15 June 2020 (→‎top: map). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

El Cerrito del Norte
Bay Area Rapid Transit
A elevated concrete railway station seen from below, with construction work visible
El Cerrito del Norte station in October 2019 during renovations
General information
Location6400 Cutting Boulevard
El Cerrito, California
Coordinates37°55′31″N 122°19′01″W / 37.925183°N 122.316939°W / 37.925183; -122.316939
Owned byBART
Line(s)BART R-Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Bus routesBus transport AC Transit: L, 7, 72, 72M, 72R, 76, 376, 667, 668, 675, 684, 800
Bus transport FAST: Green Express
Bus transport Golden Gate Transit: 40, 40X, 704
Bus transport SolTrans: 80, 82
Bus transport VINE: 29
Bus transport WestCAT: JL, JPX, JR, JX, 708
Bus stands29
Construction
Parking2198 spaces
Bicycle facilities28 Lockers
AccessibleYes
Architectural styleBrutalist
History
OpenedJanuary 29, 1973
Rebuilt2017–2020
Passengers
20243,384 (weekday average)[1]
Services
Preceding station Bay Area Rapid Transit Following station
El Cerrito Plaza
toward Millbrae
Red Line Richmond
Terminus
El Cerrito Plaza Orange Line

El Cerrito del Norte (North Hillock in Spanish) is a BART station located off Cutting Boulevard near San Pablo Avenue and Interstate 80 in El Cerrito, California. The station serves as a regional transit hub for local AC Transit bus services, and for commuter feeder services from Solano, Napa, and Marin Counties in the North Bay plus western Contra Costa County. Opened in 1973, the station is undergoing a renovation expected to be completed in 2019.

History

Steelwork for new elevators and stairs seen in March 2019

El Cerrito del Norte station opened on January 29, 1973 when service began between MacArthur station and Richmond station.[2] As with El Cerrito Plaza station, the escalator walls feature tile mosaics by Alfonso Pardiñas.[3]

A 2014 study recommending expanding the station paid area, platforms, and vertical logistics (more stairs and elevators within the paid area) to allow more passengers to use the station and decrease dwelling times during congested alighting times.[4] By 2017 the station had more than 9,000 passengers boarding per weekday, exceeding its design capacity. BART approved contracts to begin station expansion that year, with an expected completion in May 2019.[5][6] As of August 2019 work was ongoing.

The station features large parking areas throughout, including surface parking and a four-story parking garage on the east side. There are also reserved bicycle lockers and open air racks available.[4] There is a kiss and ride and taxi zone on the east side of the station.[4] The Ohlone Greenway runs through the station area. This plan determined that parking should be placed closer to the freeway to reduce traffic and that the impact of the large number of buses and area needed for them had to be mitigated in some manner.[4]

Redevelopment

BART developed a station improvement plan in 2004 to create a transit village in the surrounding area.[4] The city of El Cerrito is additionally planning and searching for funds to develop the area around the station as a transit oriented development (TOD) similar to other transit villages,[7] with the reservation that the development must be appropriately scaled.[4] An apartment complex to be built on a former parking area was approved in 2017.[8]

Bus connections

SolanoExpress bus at the station

El Cerrito del Norte station serves as the primary northern bus terminal for the Richmond branch due to its proximity to I-80 (compared to the Richmond BART station).[9] As of 2017, there are 29 bus bays that serve six bus agencies for fixed route service and various paratransit and dial-a-ride shuttles. The bus bays are predominantly located on the west side of the station.[4][10] Many stops have been relocated to surrounding streets during construction.[10]

AC Transit provides local and limited-stop service, plus two commuter routes serving San Francisco:[11]

  • Local: 7, 72, 72M, 72R, 76, 376
  • All Nighter: 800
  • School routes: 667, 668, 675, 684
  • Transbay route (on San Pablo Avenue): L

Five operators provide commuter-oriented express service from western Contra Costa County, Marin County, Napa County, and Solano County:[11][10]

References

  1. ^ "Monthly Ridership Reports". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. June 2024.
  2. ^ "BART Chronology January 1947 – March 2009" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2013.
  3. ^ Weinstein, Dave. "How BART got ART". CA-Modern. Eichler Network. p. 6.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Comprehensive Station Plan El Cerrito del Norte" (PDF). BART. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  5. ^ "El Cerrito del Norte Station Modernization Project". Clark Construction.
  6. ^ Radin, Rick (February 10, 2017). "Busy El Cerrito Del Norte BART station set for major remodel". East Bay Times.
  7. ^ El Cerrito del Norte station access plan Archived 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine, BART, retrieved August 9, 2007
  8. ^ Radin, Rick (7 August 2017). "El Cerrito residential projects along San Pablo earn design approval". East Bay Times. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Transit Routes: El Cerrito del Norte Station" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Commission. December 12, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c "Transit Stops: El Cerrito del Norte Station" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Commission. February 1, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Schedules & Fares: El Cerrito del Norte Station" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Commission. December 11, 2017.