BART announces official Warms Springs extension service date

“Fremont train now approaching” may be a thing of the past. Today BART announced the official date for new service extending south to Warm Springs—March 25.

Around 5.4-miles of new tracks from the current Fremont station will extend down to a new station in the Warm Springs neighborhood. And according to San Francisco Business Times, there will be an additional “2,082 parking spaces and connections to AC Transit and VTA buses” to go along with the new station.

In a statement released today, BART Director Tom Blalock said, “This will bring BART service to the residents of fast growing south Fremont. They’ll have a reliable, environmentally-responsible alternative to driving on the sometime nightmarish Nimitz Freeway.”

This will ostensibly kick off plans for upcoming BART service to San Jose and Santa Clara.

The new station will also feature the work of professional artists, including Tile Benches by Joe Kievitt and a main focal piece by Catherine Widgery called Sky Cycles.

Rendering via BART.gov

“Patrons will find different details and combinations of colors and light each time they visit the station,” says BART of Widgery’s work. “Fremont's lakes, hills and city skyline serve as the inspiration for the abstract images on the station curtain walls and rotunda.”

The station will be ready for business in just over two weeks.

A new BART station will certainly raise questions for San Franciscans who have always wanted more public transit options from Bay Area Rapid Transit. Specifically, will BART one day extend service to, say, other parts of San Francisco and/or up to Marin? Perish the thought. That would make far too much sense.

Rendering via BART.gov

• BART's Warm Springs extension finally starting service this month [SF Business Times]
• Warm Springs Extension Project Overview [BART.gov]