Release Date: 3/24/17
BART’s Warm Springs Extension will open for service tomorrow, Saturday, March 25, connecting the Fremont Station to the new Warm Springs/South Fremont Station.
The project comes in at more than $100 million under the original $890 million budget and serves a fast-growing Silicon Valley community. When the workweek begins Monday, BART will run 10-car trains between Fremont and Daly City each weekday morning during commute hours.
“The new station and 5.4 miles of new track will be a difference-maker in addressing the gridlock on interstates 880 and 680 by taking thousands of cars off the road each day, said BART Director Tom Blalock, who serves Fremont and has been a leader in making the extension a reality. “We’re also helping people reduce their carbon footprint by making the station fully accessible to pedestrians, bus riders and bike riders.”
The new station includes 2,082 parking spots, including 42 solar-powered electronic vehicle charging stations as well as intermodal connections to AC Transit and private shuttles.
The solar panels installed on the roof of the station and on several parking canopies will produce more than enough energy to meet the station’s daytime power needs. Additionally, BART has installed bioswales that naturally filter silt and pollutants in surface run-off water before it enters the Bay watershed.
Accessibility was also key in the station’s design. The primary entry plaza is linked to pedestrian walkways and bike lanes. Warm Springs/South Fremont Station offers bike lockers and racks on the ground level and bike channels in stairways, making it easier for bicyclists to carry their bikes up and down.
Finally, The Warm Springs Extension paves the way for BART to Silicon Valley, a 10-mile Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority project that’s under construction and is expected to open for service later this year.