Milpitas station

Last updated
Milpitas
Bart-logo.svg VTA-Orange-icon.svg
Milpitas Transit Center.jpg
Transit center with BART & bus stations (background) and light rail platforms (foreground).
General information
Other namesMilpitas Transit Center
Location1755 South Milpitas Boulevard [1]
Milpitas, California
United States
Coordinates 37°24′37″N121°53′28″W / 37.41028°N 121.89111°W / 37.41028; -121.89111
Owned by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Line(s) BART S-Line
Platforms2 side platforms (BART)
1 island platform (VTA)
Tracks2 (BART)
2 (VTA)
Bus routesAiga bus trans.svg VTA Bus: 20, 44, 47, 60, 66, 70, 77, 104 [2]
Aiga bus trans.svg AC Transit: 217
Construction
Structure typeElevated (VTA light rail)
Below-grade (BART)
Parking1,631 spaces
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedJune 24, 2004 (VTA light rail)
December 28, 2019 (Bus plaza)
June 13, 2020 (BART)
Previous namesMontague (2004–2019)
Passengers
20241,269 (weekday average) [3] (BART)
Services
Preceding station Bart compact logo.svg Bay Area Rapid Transit Following station
Warm Springs/​South Fremont
toward Daly City
Green Line Berryessa/​North San José
Terminus
Warm Springs/​South Fremont
toward Richmond
Orange Line
Preceding station BSicon LOGO SCvta.svg VTA light rail Following station
Great Mall Orange Line Cropley
toward Alum Rock
Location
Milpitas station

Milpitas station, also known as Milpitas Transit Center, is an intermodal transit station located near the intersection of East Capitol Avenue and Montague Expressway in Milpitas, California, United States. The station is served by the Orange Line and Green Line Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) lines, the Orange Line of the VTA light rail system, VTA buses, and AC Transit buses.

Contents

The elevated Montague light rail station opened in June 2004. It was renamed Milpitas in December 2019 when the bus plaza and connecting footbridge were opened. The below-grade BART station, constructed as part of the Silicon Valley BART extension, opened in June 2020 along with a parking garage.

History

The BART station under construction in 2015 Milpitas BART Construction January 2015.jpg
The BART station under construction in 2015

The VTA Light Rail station opened as Montague station on June 24, 2004, as part of the Tasman East expansion, originally without any parking spaces. [4]

The BART station is the northern of two stations constructed as part of the $2.3 billion phase I of the Silicon Valley BART extension, which broke ground in 2012. The complex was built by and is owned by the VTA. [5] Opening was delayed repeatedly from its 2016 completion date. [6] [7]

In December 2019, the VTA and AC Transit bus station opened, [8] [9] while the light rail station was officially renamed from Montague to Milpitas. [10]

An official ribbon cutting for the BART station was held on June 12, 2020, with service beginning the next day on June 13, 2020. [11] [12] [13]

A 229-foot (70 m)-long footbridge crosses Montague Expressway on the north side of the station. Construction of the $19.33 million bridge, which connects to the second level of the garage, began in 2019; it opened in July 2021. [14]

Station layout

Layout of the Milpitas station complex Milpitas station layout.svg
Layout of the Milpitas station complex

The Milpitas station complex is located near the intersection of East Capitol Avenue and the Montague Expressway, near the south border of Milpitas. The BART tracks run roughly north–south in a trench below street level, with two 700-foot (210 m)-long side platforms. The station building is approximately 430 by 160 feet (131 m × 49 m), with an undulating roofline and three large circular skylights. Entrances are on the east and west sides of the station building, near its southern end, leading to a central corridor. Fare control areas are on opposite sides of the corridor; both have stairs and escalators to the platform, with elevators in the north fare control area. [15]

The BART station features stained glass windows by BJ Katz and Chris Klein, titled Ethos of Imagination, above the main entrance. Twenty support columns along the platforms are encased in ceramic tiles by Amy Trachtenberg, titled Ecstatic Voyaging, patterned after the ikat dyeing technique. [16]

The light rail tracks are elevated above East Capitol Avenue, running approximately northwest–southeast. A mezzanine is located under the single island platform, with stairs and an elevator to the median of East Capitol Avenue at South Milpitas Boulevard. A pedestrian bridge leads from the light rail mezzanine northwest to the west side of the BART building where escalators and an elevator lead to the plaza. [15]

The bus plaza is located west of the BART station building. It is served by nine VTA bus routes (20, 44, 47, 60, 66, 70, 77, and 104) and one AC Transit route (217); it serves as a transfer point between the two bus systems. [15] It is the only BART station served by both VTA and AC Transit, and the only VTA light rail station served by AC Transit. The six-story, 1,631 space paid parking garage is located east of the BART building. [15] [17] A paid 185-space indoor bike parking structure is located underneath the footbridge; free bike racks are dispersed around the station. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority</span> Public transit operator in Santa Clara County, California

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, more commonly known simply as the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), is a special district responsible for public transit services, congestion management, specific highway improvement projects, and countywide transportation planning for Santa Clara County, California. It serves San Jose, California, and the surrounding Silicon Valley. It is one of the governing parties for the Caltrain commuter rail line that serves the county. In 2023, the VTA's public transportation services had a combined ridership of 26,610,000, or about 87,100 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Mall of the Bay Area</span> Shopping mall in California, United States

The Great Mall of the Bay Area is a large indoor outlet shopping mall in Milpitas, California built by Ford Motor Land Development and Petrie Dierman Kughn in 1994. It was acquired by Mills Corporation in 2003, and by the Simon Property Group in April 2007. The mall contains approximately 1.4 million square feet of gross leaseable area. The anchor stores are Century Theatres, Kohl's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Home Interiors Furniture, Q, Saks Off 5th, Marshalls, Burlington, Dave & Buster's and the Legoland Discovery Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berryessa, San Jose</span> Neighborhood of San Jose in Santa Clara, California, United States

Berryessa is a district of San Jose, California, located in North San Jose. The district is named after the Berryessa family, a prominent Californio family of the Bay Area which historically owned most of the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Jose Diridon station</span> Transit hub in San Jose, California, U.S.

San Jose Diridon station is the central passenger rail depot for San Jose, California. It also serves as a major intermodal transit center for Santa Clara County and Silicon Valley. The station is named after former Santa Clara County Supervisor Rod Diridon Sr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Mall/Main station</span> VTA light rail station in Milpitas, California

Great Mall station is a light rail station operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). The station is served by the Orange Line of the VTA light rail system. It is an elevated station over the intersection of Great Mall Parkway and Main Street in Milpitas, California. A pedestrian bridge connects the station to the nearby Great Mall of the Bay Area, after which the station is named.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alder station</span> VTA light rail station in Milpitas, California

Alder station is a light rail station operated by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). This station is served by the Orange Line of the VTA light rail system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baypointe station</span> VTA light rail station in San Jose, California

Baypointe station is an at-grade light rail station located in the center median of Tasman Drive at its intersection with Baypointe Parkway, after which the station is named, in San Jose, California. The station is owned by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and is served by the Blue Line and the Orange Line of the VTA light rail system. Baypointe station is the current northern terminus for the Blue Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berryessa station (VTA)</span> VTA light rail station in San Jose, California

Berryessa station is a light rail station operated by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). This station is served by VTA's Orange Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Clara Transit Center</span> Train station in Santa Clara, California, U.S.

Santa Clara Transit Center is a railway station in downtown Santa Clara, California. It is served by Caltrain, Amtrak Capitol Corridor, and Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) trains. It is the planned terminus for the Silicon Valley BART extension into Santa Clara County on the future Green and Orange Lines. The former station building, constructed in 1863 by the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad, is used by the Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VTA light rail</span> Light rail system in Santa Clara County, California

The VTA light rail system serves San Jose and nearby cities in Santa Clara County, California. It is operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and has 42.2 miles (67.9 km) of network comprising three main lines on standard gauge tracks. Originally opened on December 11, 1987, the light rail system has expanded since then, and currently has 60 stations in operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastridge Transit Center</span>

The Eastridge Transit Center is a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus terminal located at the Eastridge Mall in the Evergreen District of San Jose, California. The station is located alongside Capitol Expressway near Tully Road.

Throughout the history of Bay Area Rapid Transit, there have been plans to extend service to other areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berryessa/North San José station</span> BART station in San Jose, California, United States

Berryessa/North San José station is an intermodal transit center located in the Berryessa district of San Jose, California, United States. The station is served by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) buses. The transit center opened for bus service on December 28, 2019, and subsequently for BART service on June 13, 2020. The station is the southern terminus of the Orange and Green lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">28th Street/Little Portugal station</span>

28th Street/Little Portugal station is a proposed underground Bay Area Rapid Transit station in the Little Portugal neighborhood of San Jose, California. It would be located north of East Santa Clara Street between North 28th Street and U.S. Route 101, behind Five Wounds Portuguese National Church. Preceded by Berryessa/North San José station, it would be the first station of the Phase II portion of the Silicon Valley BART extension. The station would have direct service to Santa Clara, Richmond, and San Francisco/Daly City. In planning, the station was referred to as Alum Rock/28th Street, after the Alum Rock neighborhood to the northeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown San José station</span> Planned underground BART stop

Downtown San José station is a proposed underground Bay Area Rapid Transit station underneath Santa Clara Street in Downtown San Jose, planned as part of Silicon Valley BART extension Phase II. The station would be co-located with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's existing Santa Clara light rail station, and be located between the proposed 28th Street/Little Portugal station and a transfer station at San Jose Diridon Station. The station eventually connects to the proposed Santa Clara BART station. Revenue service, which will be served by the Orange and Green Lines, is envisioned to start in 2036.

The Silicon Valley BART extension is an ongoing effort to expand the Green and Orange Line service by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) into Santa Clara County via the East Bay from its former terminus at the Fremont station in Alameda County. Planned since at least 1981, the project has seven stations in three sequential phases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warm Springs/South Fremont station</span> Rapid transit station in San Francisco Bay Area

Warm Springs/South Fremont station is a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station located in the Warm Springs district of Fremont, California. The station is served by the Orange and Green lines. It was the southern terminus of both lines from its opening on March 25, 2017 until June 13, 2020, when Milpitas and Berryessa/North San José stations opened as part of the Silicon Valley BART extension.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling in San Jose, California</span>

The American city of San Jose, California has various cycling routes on roads and trails used by both commuters and recreational riders. The city has plans to expand the current 285 miles (459 km) of bike lanes to 400 miles (640 km), and the current 60 miles (97 km) of trails to 100 miles (160 km). San Jose was ranked as a bronze-level bicycle-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange Line (VTA)</span> Light rail line in Santa Clara County, California

The Orange Line is a light rail line in Santa Clara County, California, and part of the VTA light rail system. It serves 26 stations in the cities of Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Milpitas, and San Jose, traveling between Downtown Mountain View and Alum Rock stations, stopping at Ames Research Center, Great America, and Levi's Stadium along the way. The line connects to Caltrain at Mountain View and to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system at Milpitas station. The line runs for 20 hours per day on weekdays, with headways of 15 minutes for most of the day. On weekends, the train runs at 20-minute headways for most of the day. After around 8 pm on weekdays and weekends trains run at 30-minute headways.

References

  1. "BART service to Milpitas and Berryessa stations starts Saturday, June 13". Bay Area Rapid Transit. May 19, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  2. "VTA Light Rail System". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority . October 11, 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  3. "Monthly Ridership Reports". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. June 2024.
  4. "VTA Facts: Light Rail System" (PDF). Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. November 30, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 20, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  5. "Who owns the BART stations in Berryessa/North San José and Milpitas? Who operates the different services?". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority . Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  6. "BART-to-San Jose construction to start in April". Associated Press. March 13, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2017. Transportation leaders on Monday signed final documents pledging $900 million in federal funds for the $2.3 billion Berryessa extension, scheduled to open in 2016.
  7. Richards, Gary. "Next target: Extending BART under downtown San Jose". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Construction begins this spring, with 2016 completion date... Source: VTA
  8. "Proposed 2019 New Transit Service Plan – Light Rail Routes". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority . Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  9. Childress, Brandi (2019-11-20). "Ready for Launch! VTA's All New Service December 28, 2019". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority . Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  10. "VTA makes commuter changes". The Morgan Hill Times. 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  11. Meacham, Jody (June 12, 2020). "Subdued ceremonies mark BART's station openings in Santa Clara County". Silicon Valley Business Journal . Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  12. "San Jose BART delay: Milpitas, Berryessa stations likely to miss 2019 opening: Officials had hoped to open the stations by the end of the year". San Jose Mercury News. October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019. But the agency's general manager revealed this week that BART is likely to miss that target, and trains probably won't start taking passengers to those stations until sometime in 2020.
  13. "Are the Milpitas and Berryessa BART stations going to open on time? It's complicated". San Francisco Chronicle. October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019. Revenue service will not start on Dec. 28, 2019 if VTA does not resolve the discrepancies necessary for BART to start pre-revenue testing by Oct. 21, 2019
  14. "Montague Expressway Pedestrian Overcrossing". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. 6 September 2019.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Transit Stops: Milpitas Station" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Commission. February 24, 2020.
  16. "Public Art at BART Silicon Valley Phase I Stations". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
  17. 1 2 "Milpitas Station". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District.