Ashby station (BART)

Ashby
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Ashby station platform viewed from the mezzanine level
General information
Location3100 Adeline Street
Berkeley, California
Coordinates37°51′11″N 122°16′12″W / 37.853068°N 122.269957°W / 37.853068; -122.269957
Owned bySan Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, City of Berkeley
Line(s)BART R-Line
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport AC Transit: F, 7, 12, 18, 800
Bus transport West Berkeley Shuttle
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Parking715 spaces
Bicycle facilitiesracks, station, 24 shared lockers, 24 keyed reserved lockers
AccessibleYes
ArchitectMaher & Martens[1]
Other information
Station codeBART: ASHB
History
OpenedJanuary 29, 1973[2]
Passengers
20241,943 (weekday average)[3]
Services
Preceding station Bay Area Rapid Transit Following station
MacArthur
toward Berryessa/​North San José
 Orange Line Downtown Berkeley
toward Richmond
MacArthur
toward Millbrae
 Red Line
Location
Map

Ashby station is an underground Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station in Berkeley, California. The station is located beneath Adeline Street to the south of its intersection with Ashby Avenue. The station includes park-and-ride facilities with 715 automobile parking spaces in two separate parking lots. It is served by the Orange and Red lines.

Station layout

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The station has a single island platform located below ground. The fare mezzanine is located at the same level as the west parking lot; stairs and an elevator provide access from Adeline Street overhead. The station is served several AC Transit routes that stop in different locations around its perimeter:[4]

The free West Berkeley Shuttle runs from the station to the West Berkeley area.[5]

History

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Main entrance from the west parking lot

The station site is approximately at the historic location of Berkeley Branch Railroad's Newbury station, which opened after 1876.[6] The BART Board approved the name "Ashby Place" in December 1965.[7] The three stations in Berkeley were originally planned to be elevated, but the City of Berkeley paid extra tax to have them built underground. The station design was controversial because it was not fully underground; the west side of the mezzanine is level with the parking lot.[8][9] Eminent domain was used to take land for the parking lots, which contributed to the decline of the Black community in the area.[10] Service at Ashby station began on January 29, 1973, as part of the MacArthur to Richmond extension.[2]

Uniquely in the BART system, the City of Berkeley, rather than BART, controls the air rights on the parking lots. Between 2008 and 2010, a portion of the east parking lot was redeveloped as the Ed Roberts Campus, which houses several regional disability-related organizations. The east parking lot and station entrance were closed for construction on August 18, 2008.[11] The east parking lot reopened on April 19, 2010, and the Ed Roberts Campus and the new east entrance opened that November.[12][13]

The west parking lot of the station hosts a popular flea market on weekends; a proposed residential transit-oriented development over the lot proved locally controversial.[14] The Berkeley City Council approved a memorandum of understanding with BART in December 2019 to begin planning for housing on the lot.[15] The council approved plans for housing at Ashby and North Berkeley in June 2022.[16] By July 2023, the Ashby development was stalled due to disagreements between BART and the city over a planned expansion of a BART electrical substation, which occupies part of the property.[17] BART presented modified plans to accommodate the substation in November 2023, with developer solicitation then planned for mid-2024.[18]

References

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  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. ^ a b "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. June 2024.
  4. ^ "Transit Information: Ashby Station" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Commission. December 12, 2017.
  5. ^ "West Berkeley Shuttle". Berkeley Gateway Transportation Management Association.
  6. ^ "Downtown Berkeley Historic Resources Reconnaissance Survey" (PDF). City Of Berkeley. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  7. ^ "Names Approved for 38 Rapid Transit Stations Around Bay". Oakland Tribune. December 10, 1965. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Solution Hinted On Ashby Subway". Oakland Tribune. February 9, 1968. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ "Berkeley Station Agreement". Oakland Tribune. January 22, 1969. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Dineen, J.K. (December 17, 2020). "Berkeley finally embracing housing in a bid to rebuild a historically Black neighborhood". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  11. ^ "Ashby Station east entrance and lot to close for 18 months" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. August 1, 2008.
  12. ^ "Ashby Station east parking lot to reopen April 19th" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. April 6, 2010.
  13. ^ Taylor, Tracey (November 19, 2010). "Pioneering disability center opens its Berkeley campus". Berkeleyside.
  14. ^ Orenstein, Natalie (March 27, 2017). "Possibilities for Adeline Corridor include BART underground, public park". Berkeleyside.
  15. ^ Orenstein, Natalie (December 11, 2019). "Berkeley approves agreement with BART around housing at two stations". Berkeleyside.
  16. ^ Hernández, Lauren; Ravani, Sarah (June 3, 2022). "Berkeley BART stations could see up to 3,600 units after council approves plans". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  17. ^ Brown, Matthew (July 29, 2023). "Bay Area housing project on BART land is on hold due to dispute with transit agency". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  18. ^ "Ashby BART Transit-Oriented Development: Traction Power Substation (TPSS) Update" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. November 8, 2023.
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Media related to Ashby station (BART) at Wikimedia Commons

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