PhotosLocation


Oakland_–_Jack_London_Square_station Latitude and Longitude:

37°47′37″N 122°16′17″W / 37.79361°N 122.27139°W / 37.79361; -122.27139
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oakland–Jack London Square
Jack London Square station with a Capitol Corridor train in 2020
General information
Other namesOakland–Jack London Square/C. L. Dellums Station
Location245 2nd Street
Oakland, California
United States
Coordinates 37°47′37″N 122°16′17″W / 37.79361°N 122.27139°W / 37.79361; -122.27139
Owned by Port of Oakland
Line(s) UP Niles Subdivision [1]
Platforms1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks3
Connections
Construction
Parking500 short term, 500 long term [4]
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station code Amtrak: OKJ
History
OpenedMay 22, 1995
Passengers
FY 2022154,266 [5] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Oakland Coliseum
toward San Jose
Capitol Corridor Emeryville
toward Auburn
San Jose Coast Starlight Emeryville
toward Seattle
Terminus San Joaquins Emeryville
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Terminus California Zephyr
(1995–1997)
Emeryville
toward Chicago
At Oakland–1st Street station
Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station
Oakland Pier
Terminus
Oakland – San Jose
(ended 1960)
Fruitvale
toward San Jose
Location

Oakland–Jack London Square station is a train station in Jack London Square (itself named after the author) of Oakland, California, United States. The station is served by Amtrak's Capitol Corridor, Coast Starlight, and San Joaquins trains. It is officially named Oakland–Jack London Square/C. L. Dellums Station after C. L. Dellums, co-founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

Station design

Interior of Jack London Square station

Three tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad Niles Subdivision pass through the station. A side platform serves the north track; an island platform is located between the north track and the middle track (a short siding). The south track is freight-only. [1] The glass-faced station building, owned by the Port of Oakland, is located on the north side of the tracks. [6] A parking garage is located west of the station building. Two footbridges cross over the tracks and the parallel Embarcadero West roadway. One is located adjacent to the station building; the other connects the garage to several buildings.

Most Amtrak Thruway buses to/from San Francisco connect at Emeryville, as Jack London Square is further from the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. However, Oakland is the San Francisco connection point for passengers on the southern half of the Coast Starlight, as well as the northern end of a route that connects to the Pacific Surfliner at Santa Barbara. [3]

The station does not have direct connections to other regional transit; it is about 2,400 feet (730 m) east of the Oakland Ferry Terminal served by the San Francisco Bay Ferry and 2,200 feet (670 m) southwest of Lake Merritt station, served by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). [2]

History

Postcard view of the Southern Pacific station at 1st and Broadway

The Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) had a downtown Oakland station on the north side of 1st Street between Franklin Street and Broadway. [7] [8]: 7  It was only used for Oakland–San Jose shuttle trains, which ended in 1960. [8]: 7 

The SP's main Oakland station was 16th Street station, which Amtrak continued to use after taking over intercity passenger service in 1971. [6] By the late 1980s, officials planned to replace the aging 16th Street station with a new station in the Jack London Square area, which was undergoing redevelopment. [9] [10] In March 1989, the Port of Oakland won a $3.1 million state grant to fund part of the cost of a new station. [11] 16th Street station was severely damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake; an adjacent building was repurposed as a temporary station. [12] In 1990, Jack London Square was among the proposed station sites for the Capitols service. [13]

By late 1991, environmental work for the Jack London Square station was underway; proposed costs had quadrupled to $16 million from the $4 million projected in 1988. [14] Capitols service began in December 1991, with 16th Street as the Oakland station. [15] By August 1992, the Port planned to open a temporary platform at Jack London Square by July 1993, as Caltrans had ordered Amtrak to vacate 16th Street station by then to accommodate replacement of the Cypress Street Viaduct. The new station was then expected to fully open in August 1994. [16]

In 1992, the adjacent city of Emeryville advanced plans for a new station of its own, intended to support redevelopment in the city. Emeryville officials advertised it as an interim replacement for 16th Street station, and that it would only seen limited service after the Jack London Square station opened. However, Port of Oakland saw Emeryville station as a threat to the expected economic benefits of the Jack London Square station. [17] [18] Groundbreaking for the Jack London Square station was held on October 28, 1992 – one day after a "lease signing" ceremony in Emeryville. [19]

In December 1992, the Port abandoned plans for the temporary platform in order to speed construction of the permanent station, with the aim of having it open by December 1993. [20] Demolition of a former newspaper warehouse to make way for the new station began in January 1993. [21] Plans up to that point called for a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2), two-story station building with a clock tower. [22] In February 1993, the design was changed to a 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2), one-story station that would cost $13.5 million. [23]

16th Street station closed on August 5, 1994, at which time Emeryville station became Amtrak's only Oakland-area station. [24] Oakland–Jack London Square station opened on May 22, 1995. [8]: 33  With its opening, Jack London Square inherited 16th Street station's longtime role as the western terminus for the California Zephyr. Due to the station's location, westbound trains had to execute a reverse move along street running tracks to reach the wye at West Oakland. For this reason, the Zephyr was cut back to Emeryville in 1997. [8]: 43 

The station's official name is "Oakland–Jack London Square/C. L. Dellums Station," named for the surrounding Jack London Square area, itself named after writer Jack London, and for C. L. Dellums, a longtime Oakland resident and the co-founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; a statue of Dellums stands outside the station. [8]: 42 

References

  1. ^ a b SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 4.
  2. ^ a b "Transit Routes: Lake Merritt". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. August 22, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Capitol Corridor" (PDF). Amtrak. June 17, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 4, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  4. ^ "Official-Draft 2018 SJJPA Business Plan Update" (PDF). San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority. SJJPA. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 29, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  5. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Oakland, CA - Jack London Square Station (OKJ)". Great American Stations. Amtrak.
  7. ^ Hegemann, Werner (1915). "Report on a City plan for the Municipal Railways of Oakland & Berkeley". Municipal governments of Oakland and Berkeley. p. 60 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b c d e Vurek, Matthew Gerald (2016). Images of Modern America: California’s Capitol Corridor. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN  9781467124171.
  9. ^ Gibbs, Walt (May 8, 1988). "Travelers flock to Amtrak as highways clog up". The San Francisco Examiner. pp. B1, B4 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Grabowicz, Paul (February 26, 1989). "Ferrying new life to city waterfront". Oakland Tribune. pp. 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Zimmerman, Kathy (March 24, 1989). "Jack London Square – Amtrak plan wins grant". Oakland Tribune. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Snyder, Bill (November 8, 1989). "Many historic buildings repairable – but at great cost". Oakland Tribune. pp. C-1, C-2 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Evangelista, Benny (September 24, 1990). "Commute train service back on track". Oakland Tribune. pp. A-6, A-8 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Evangelista, Benny (November 17, 1991). "On Track". Oakland Tribune. pp. A-1, A-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Gibbs, Walt. "Train service to Sacramento begins". Oakland Tribune. p. A-10 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Evangelista, Benny (August 3, 1992). "BART'S big 20th". Oakland Tribune. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Mahoney, Brett (September 25, 1992). "Amtrak station OKd for Emeryville stop". Oakland Tribune. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Evangelista, Benny (October 5, 1992). "Dueling agendas". Oakland Tribune. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Evangelista, Benny (October 28, 1992). "Emeryville bullish on its Amtrak station plan". Oakland Tribune. pp. A-3, A-4 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Evangelista, Benny (December 3, 1992). "Jack London depot on fast track". Oakland Tribune. p. C-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Evangelista, Benny (January 20, 1993). "Crew begins clearing way for Amtrak station". Oakland Tribune. p. D-9 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Evangelista, Benny (October 29, 1992). "Oakland sees new train station in '93". Oakland Tribune. p. A-3, A-6 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Evangelista, Benny (February 4, 1993). "Plans are grand for Oakland railway station". Oakland Tribune. p. D-8 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ National Association of Railroad Passengers (May 19, 1995). "Hotline #878". Retrieved July 31, 2012.

External links

Media related to Oakland–Jack London Square station at Wikimedia Commons