Three station locations (Hayward, Newark Junction, and Ardenwood) along the new proposed Capitol Corridor route were initially analyzed to determine if they were feasible locations for the project’s new transbay station. Each station was evaluated against four categories to identify which location would be included in the proposed Project.
Station Feasibility Considerations
Capitol Program Benefits
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality
Increase ridership based on system and efficiency improvements
Coordinate and integrate with state rail and transit operations
Improve safety
Design Feasibility
Constructability
Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority station standards
Union Pacific Railroad acceptability
Stakeholder approval
Non-rail right-of-way required
Cost
Schedule
Environmental
Land use consistency
Sensitive air quality and noise receptors
Community cohesion
Visual and aesthetic resources
Natural resources
Protected Section 4(f) public parks, refuges, and historic properties
Access and circulation
Environmental justice
Station Area
Bicycle and pedestrian accessibility
Existing parking
Local traffic impacts
Priority development area designation
Service optimization
State and local plan consistency
Each of the three alternatives were evaluated given the four criteria above, using the following scale: unfavorable, neutral, and favorable. The proposed Ardenwood Station location was the only alternative that received a favorable rating for most criteria. The location did receive “neutral” ratings for two criteria considerations: Sensitivity Air Quality and Noise Receptors (reason: temporary noise and air quality impacts may occur during operation of construction vehicles and equipment); and Existing Parking (reason: additional parking may be required; existing lot often reaches capacity by 7am). In relation to the other two station alternatives, however, all three had the same “neutral” finding for Sensitivity Air Quality and Noise Receptors for the same reasons, and the Ardenwood Station alternative was the only one that did not receive an unfavorable rating for parking, as neither of the other two alternatives had any existing parking available. Findings of the evaluation are detailed in the Project Definition Report (2019).
Both the Hayward and Newark stations would have also required access to more properties outside of the railroad right-of-way than the Ardenwood Station. Further, grade-separated crossings would likely be needed at Hayward and Newark. Therefore, constructing a new station at either Hayward or Newark was eliminated from consideration for the Draft EIR because neither station location would result in fewer impacts compared to the proposed Project.
Ardenwood Station
Based on station planning studies, the Ardenwood Station—located near the State Route 84 (SR-84) overpass crossing the Coast Subdivision, on the Fremont and Newark border—was selected as the proposed station. Improvements include:
- Constructing a new passenger rail station at the existing Ardenwood Park & Ride facility, providing a new passenger boarding platform, with pedestrian overcrossing allowing access across tracks. The proposed passenger facility would include a center boarding platform between tracks. The platform would have grade-separated access across the tracks.
- Connecting adjacent business complexes to the new Ardenwood Station via multi-use pathways. A pedestrian/bicycle pathway would be constructed under SR-84, facilitating access to areas south of the freeway, where currently there is no direct access between north and south sides of SR-84.
- Parking for the new passenger rail station would be created to the northwest on a vacant parcel. The parking facility would initially consist of a surface parking lot, but a two-level parking garage could be built later if needed. Station parking would be accessible by vehicle on the west side of the Coast Subdivision, and improvements, including but not limited to pavement resurfacing and signal phasing, will occur at specific road intersections near the station.
Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority is also proposing a SR-84 Intermodal Bus Facility Project, as a separate project, to enhance transbay bus and shuttle service connections from Alameda County to the counties on the San Francisco Peninsula to promote and encourage multimodal access and connectivity. For more information, visit sr84busfacility.com.
Ardenwood Station Conceptual Design looking north from SR-84. Existing Park & Ride is to right of proposed new station
