Work Moving Forward On eBART Extension To Antioch
ANTIOCH (CBS SF) -- The transit woes of many eastern Contra Costa County residents will be eased in the near future by a 10-mile stretch of track that will connect the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART station and Antioch.
The project is called the East Contra Costa BART Extension Project or eBART and construction is well underway.
Each day work crews and engineers are testing the rails, using specially built cars that are diesel powered and smaller than the average BART passenger car.
When completed in 2018, the ride will take 10 minutes and connect commuters with the BART system that extends through the East Bay to San Francisco and ultimately to the San Francisco International Airport.
Officials hope the new rail line will help ease some of the rush hour congestion on Highway 4 and provide a welcome relief for commuters like Antioch's Akiel Horn.
Currently, Horn has to take two buses from Antioch to get to the Pittsburg/Bay Point station.
"I have to wait here 35 minutes for one bus and then 30 minutes for another," Horn said of his daily trip from Antioch to the BART station. "I will be able to get to work faster and get home faster."
Officials said they hope the new e-trains will move close to 2,500 people an hour during the morning and evening commutes.
Once completed in May 2018, the crews will turn their attention to creating a similar rail line all the way to Byron.