12th Street Oakland City Center station

12th St/Oakland
A Richmond-bound train at the station in 2018
General information
Location	1245 Broadway Oakland, California
Coordinates	37°48′13″N122°16′19″W / 37.803608°N 122.272006°W / 37.803608; -122.272006
Line(s)	BART K-Line
Platforms	1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks	3
Connections	AC Transit: 6, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 29, 33, 40, 51A, 72, 72M, 72R, 88, 96, 611, 800, 801, 802, 805, 840, 851
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Bicycle facilities	Lockers and racks available
Accessible	Yes
Architect	Gerald McCue & Associates [1]
History
Opened	September 11, 1972 (1972-09-11) [2]
Rebuilt	1980–1986
Previous names	Oakland City Center/12th Street (until c. 2008)
Passengers
2024	5,139 (weekday average) [3]
Services
Preceding station Bay Area Rapid Transit Following station Lake Merritt toward Berryessa/​North San José Orange Line 19th Street Oakland toward Richmond West Oakland toward Millbrae Red Line West Oakland toward San Francisco International Airport or Millbrae Yellow Line 19th Street Oakland toward Antioch via  Pittsburg/​Bay Point Preceding station AC Transit Following station Uptown Transit Center Terminus Tempo Harrison towards San Leandro BART
Location

12th Street/Oakland City Center station (signed as 12th St/Oakland) is an underground Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station located under Broadway between 12th Street and 14th Street in Downtown Oakland, adjacent to the Oakland City Center. The station has three underground levels, with tracks on the second and third levels. It is served by the Red Line, Orange Line, and Yellow Line, as well as by AC Transit buses on the surface.

Oakland City Center/12th Street station opened in 1972 as part of the first section of BART. In 1980–1986, the KE Track project added the third track to the station. From 1992 to 2002, and 2004 to 2010, it was the timed transfer point between northbound trains. Tempo bus rapid transit service began in 2020.

Station layout

The Oakland City Center entrance to the station

The station has three underground levels. The first level is a concourse with ticket machines and faregates. An island platform and two main tracks (C1 and CX) for northbound trains (bound for Richmond and Antioch) are on the second level. A side platform with one track (C2) for southbound trains (bound for Berryessa/​North San José or San Francisco) is on the third level. ^{[4] [5]} The station has red brickwork, contrasting with the blue of nearby 19th Street Oakland station. ^[6]

The station has eight public entrances: two at 12th Street, three at 13th Street, and two at 14th Street (including one from Frank H. Ogawa Plaza), plus one from the belowground plaza of Oakland City Center near 13th Street. Surface elevators are located at the Ogawa Plaza entrance and at the southwest 12th Street entrance, while the platform elevator is at the south end of the station. ^[4] A currently unused passage leads directly to the Central Building at the north end of the station. ^{[7] [8]}

Bus connections

Downtown Oakland is a major transfer point for AC Transit buses, which stop at various locations on Broadway and cross streets near the station: ^[9]

• Rapid: 1T, 72R
• Local: 6, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 29, 33, 40, 51A, 72, 72M, 88, 96
• All-Nighter: 1T, 800, 802, 805, 840, 851

Route 1T stops at dedicated platforms at two locations: 14th Street on Broadway at the north end of the station, and City Center just east of Broadway on 12th Street (northbound) and 11th Street (southbound) at the south end of the station. ^[9]

History

The disused Central Building entrance/exit

Map of the KE Track project

The station, along with 19th Street Oakland and Daly City stations, was designed by Gerard McCue and Associates. ^[10] By 1967, owners of three Oakland buildings were considering paying for private entrances from the station mezzanine. ^[11] Only one was actually constructed: an entrance from the Central Building (1400 Broadway) was approved in February 1968. ^[7]

By August 1965, the city wanted to called the station "Oakland Downtown South", while BART preferred "Oakland-12". ^[12] In October 1965, a BART committee recommended "12th Street". ^[13] The BART Board approved 12th Street Oakland as the name that December. ^[14] In October 1971, after pressure from Oakland officials to include mention of the new Oakland City Center development, the name was changed to Oakland City Center/12th Street. ^{[15] [16]} The station opened on September 11, 1972, as part of the first section of BART to open; service was extended to Richmond the next year. Service to Concord was added on May 21, 1973, and extended to San Francisco through the Transbay Tube on September 16, 1974. Richmond–San Francisco service was added on April 19, 1976. ^[2]

The station was initially built without an elevator between the mezzanine and street level because the city of Oakland refused to allow elevator kiosks on the sidewalks. ^{[17] [18]} By late 1973, it was the only BART station without an elevator completed or under construction. ^[17] A surface elevator near 11th Street, set back from the sidewalk on a parcel being redevelopment, was ultimately built as part of a $1.47 million modification to the station. Constructed as part of the City Center development, it also included additional escalators and a new entrance from the City Center plaza. The United States Department of Transportation awarded $1.17 million for the project in April 1974, and a construction contract was issued that December. ^{[19] [20]} The elevator and new entrance opened along with the plaza and the Clorox Building on October 15, 1976. ^{[21] [22] [23]} A second elevator was added in Ogawa Plaza in 2002. ^[24]

The station initially had one side platform on each level, with one track on the east side of each platform. The KE Track project, begun in 1980 and completed on March 17, 1986, converted the upper platform to an island platform with a new west track (Track CX). ^{[25] [5]} The new track was originally used for peak hour service (southbound towards San Francisco in the morning, and northbound in the evening). ^[26] Schedule changes on June 22, 1992, introduced timed transfers between Richmond–Fremont line and Concord–Daly City line trains. Oakland City Center/12th Street was the transfer point between northbound (Richmond-bound and Concord-bound) trains, while MacArthur station was the transfer point between southbound trains. The CX Track was became northbound-only at this time. ^{[27] [2] : 35} Timed transfers were discontinued in 2002, but resumed on February 9, 2004. ^[28]

The station was renamed to 12th Street Oakland City Center around 2008. ^{[29] [30] [31]} On September 13, 2010, the northbound transfer location was changed to 19th Street Oakland station. ^[32] Sunday-only service to the station on the Dublin/Pleasanton line was operated from February 11, 2019, to February 10, 2020, due to construction work in the Transbay Tube. ^{[33] [34]} Four of the six entrances were closed from April 13, 2020, to June 12, 2021, due to low ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[35]

Construction of the Oakland–San Leandro East Bay Bus Rapid Transit line (later branded Tempo) began in August 2016. ^[36] Tempo route 1T service began on August 9, 2020, with surface stations at 14th Street and City Center. ^[37]

References

1. Cerny, Susan Dinkelspiel (2007). An Architectural Guidebook to San Francisco and the Bay Area (1st ed.). Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith. pp. 501–502. ISBN   978-1-58685-432-4. OCLC   85623396.
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. "Monthly Ridership Reports". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. February 2024.
4. "Station Layout: 12th Street/Oakland City Center Station". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. October 25, 2018.
5. Mahon, Vincent P. "Track Rehabilitation and New Construction in An Operating Environment at BART" (PDF). Transportation Research Record. 1006: 45–54.
6. Burks, John (September 12, 1972). "1st Day Smash Hit With Happy BART Riders". San Francisco Examiner. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Solution Hinted On Ashby Subway". Oakland Tribune. February 9, 1968. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Historic Central Building" (PDF). Grubb & Ellis. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2016.
9. "Transit Stops: 12th Street/Oakland City Center Station". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. March 23, 2023.
10. Cerny, Susan (2007). An Architectural Guidebook to San Francisco and the Bay Area. Gibbs Smith. pp. 501–502. ISBN   978-1-58685-432-4.
11. "Subway Entry for 4 Firms?". Oakland Tribune. June 8, 1967. p. 68 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Differences On Transit Stop Names". Oakland Tribune. August 24, 1965. p. 50 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "A Name For BART Station?". Oakland Tribune. October 20, 1965. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Names Approved for 38 Rapid Transit Stations Around Bay". Oakland Tribune. December 10, 1965. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
15. Demoro, Harre W. (September 24, 1971). "BART Will Share Cost of the Ramp". Oakland Tribune. p. 52 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "City Center Name for BART Stop". Oakland Tribune. October 15, 1971. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
17. Demoro, Harre W. (November 7, 1973). "BART Board Gives Nod To Oakland Station Job". Oakland Tribune. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "Strike Delays Elevator Service at Some Stations". Oakland Tribune. September 10, 1972. p. 36 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "1 million U.S. gift to BART for station". The San Francisco Examiner. April 3, 1974. p. 38 – via Newspapers.com.
20. "BART Lets City Center Station Job". Oakland Tribune. December 15, 1974. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
21. 1976/1977 Annual Report. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. 1977. p. 7.
22. "City Center". Oakland Tribune. October 14, 1976. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
23. "Dedication Gala Slated". Oakland Tribune. August 26, 1976. p. 3-CL – via Newspapers.com.
24. Allen, Annalee (March 10, 2002). "Oakland in party mood, lines up 150th celebration". Oakland Tribune. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
25. Annual Report 1985–86. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District – via Internet Archive.
26. Marino, Frank (July 1986). "BART". Pacific RailNews. p. 40.
27. Chin, Steven A. (June 12, 1992). "More, faster service slated by BART". San Francisco Examiner– via Newspapers.com.
28. Cabanatuan, Michael (February 9, 2004). "BART changing schedule so more go to SFO / Peninsula ridership below expectations, needs a boost". San Francisco Chronicle.
29. "BART Fares and Schedules" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. January 1, 2008.
30. "BART Fares and Schedules" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. September 14, 2009.
31. "12th St. Oakland City Center Station". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008.
32. "Minor BART schedule changes on Monday, September 13" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. August 25, 2010.
33. "February 11 schedule change impacts weekdays and Sundays" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. January 15, 2019.
34. "New Sunday service plan to begin in February" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. November 25, 2019.
35. "BART opens all entrances/exits that were previously closed due to pandemic" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. June 12, 2021.
36. "AC TRANSIT ANNOUNCES THE GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR THE EAST BAY BUS RAPID TRANSIT" (Press release). Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. August 26, 2016.
37. "AC TRANSIT TEMPO OPENS TO RIDERS SUNDAY, AUGUST 9" (Press release). Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. August 7, 2020.

External links

Media related to 12th Street Oakland City Center station at Wikimedia Commons

• BART – 12th St. Oakland City Center