BART to begin testing Oakland Airport Connector

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

Test vehicles will soon be traveling on the Oakland Airport Connector (OAC) tracks above Hegenberger Road in Oakland, Calif., as the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) project moves into one of the final phases before the anticipated opening for service this fall. The first of the new test vehicles was unveiled recently at the OAC wheelhouse.

 

“Passenger travel on the elevated guideway between Coliseum Station and the Oakland Airport Station is now less than a year away,” said BART Director Robert Raburn. “I’m heartened that the Oakland Airport Connector will boost development in Oakland and the fact that the project has already put local people to work.”

The test vehicle is the first of four that will travel along the 3.2-mile track between BART’s Oakland Airport/Coliseum Station and a new station next to the terminals at Oakland International Airport. The vehicles are being constructed in Oregon and shipped to the Bay Area for final assembly on site. All are expected to be in testing this spring.

Once OAC opens to the public, trains will complete the trip in eight minutes, 30 seconds. Total travel time, which includes walking from the BART Coliseum Station to the OAC platform and from OAC to the airport terminals, is expected to take 12 to 14 minutes.
The OAC will replace the current AirBART buses, which drive through nine intersections on local streets and take 20 to 25 minutes in ideal traffic conditions.

The total cost of the project is $484 million and it is on time and on budget.

 

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