Development A feasibility study which completed in 2001 proposed an extension of BART service into eastern Contra Costa County using
diesel multiple units (DMU) on standard gauge track in an existing rail right-of-way, to reduce costs compared to full BART service (grade-separated broad-gauge track). Because commercially available DMUs could not meet
Federal Railroad Administration crash standards, they would need to be separated from freight rail, either by operating on an exclusive set of tracks or at exclusive times during the day. At Oakley, eBART would turn southeast, continuing to follow the ROW of the UPRR Tracy Subdivision, terminating at
Byron. The existing freight rail line would be relocated within the right-of-way to accommodate double-track eBART service. • Empire Avenue (Oakley) • Central Avenue (Brentwood) • Downtown Byron By 2005, a sixth station had been added in Pittsburg (at Railroad Avenue, in the median of SR 4) and the Somersville Road station had been relocated east to the Antioch Fairgrounds
Finalized plans After Union Pacific declined to grant
trackage rights or allow laying of new tracks, By the time the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for eBART was published in 2008, the initial proposed phase had been scaled back to two stations, retaining an intermediate stop in Pittsburg (Railroad Ave) and shifting the planned terminus to Antioch (Hillcrest Ave), along with a transfer platform near the existing Pittsburg/Bay Point station; the DEIR also included alternative locations for the Phase I terminal station in Antioch (Hillcrest Ave), which would preserve plans for a planned extension east and south from Antioch along the Mococo Line right-of-way. Alternatives studied included
bus rapid transit using dedicated lanes, overhead (catenary) electric
light rail vehicles, and standard BART trains. Compared to the proposed $486 million cost to implement eBART with DMUs, a similar BRT service would cost $393–611 M, depending on the options selected; LRV $528 M; and BART $1173 M. The expansion was approved by the BART board in April 2009. Costs were set at $463million (equivalent to $ in ), compared to an estimated $1.2billion (equivalent to $ in ) for full BART buildout. Construction on the line began in early 2011. Construction of the
Railroad Avenue station in
Pittsburg had been uncertain as planning and construction progressed but it was fully funded by the city in early 2015, and opened in 2018 along with the rest of the extension.
Start of service Revenue service began on May 26, 2018. Its design and operation, the result of several compromises, were criticized by
Streetsblog.
Future While not fully planned or funded , proposals have been advanced to extend the eBART line to
Oakley,
Byron, or the Brentwood Transit Center in
Brentwood. During the planning phase for Antioch station, it was noted that any potential extension along the median of
SR 4 is feasible only to Balfour Road in Brentwood without further widening of the freeway; by acquiring a right-of-way adjacent to the Mococo Line, service could be extended to Laurel Road in Brentwood. An extension to Tracy is possible only if rights to share the Mococo Line right-of-way are acquired from UPRR. This would create a transit loop connecting the current eastern termini of the BART Yellow (Pittsburg/Bay Point) and Blue (Dublin/Pleasanton) lines. == Stations ==