Map of Oakley Center Transit. By City of Oakley.
“You’ll be able to get from downtown Oakley to downtown Oakland in 55 minutes ‐ you can’t do that on BART or a car and the ride is much more pleasant.” – Oakley Mayor Kevin Romick
By Amy Sylvestri, City of Oakley
Mayor Kevin Romick speaks at the site of the future Amtrak train station platform, as Paul Herman from the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, Vice Mayor Sue Higgins, and City of Oakley Associate Engineer, Jason Kabalin listen on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. Photo by City of Oakley.
Friday was another exciting day in Oakley, as Mayor Kevin Romick, Vice‐Mayor Sue Higgins and Paul Herman, Associate Planner of the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority helped announce the next step in the process of bringing an Amtrak platform to Oakley!
The new 700‐foot‐long Amtrak train station platform that will be located behind Main Street between Second Street and Norcross Lane. Once complete, Oakley commuters will be able to get from downtown Oakley to downtown Oakland in under an hour.
Amtrak is currently under design for the proposed 700‐foot long platform which will be located within the railroad right‐of‐way.
The City will design and construct the adjacent improvements that will include a bus and car drop off area between 2nd Street and O’Hara and a large parking lot will be constructed to the west of the main entrance at O’Hara Avenue to accommodate future passengers.
“The ultimate goal is to keep the small-town look as we attract new restaurants and businesses,” said Mayor Kevin Romick. “We understand that downtown is just a couple of blocks long, but we are trying to create a vibrant area. It’s so important to give the City of Oakley more transit options. You’ll be able to get from downtown Oakley to downtown Oakland in 55 minutes ‐ you can’t do that on BART or a car and the ride is much more pleasant.”
Additionally, to maintain circulation during drop off and pick times, a new roadway will be constructed along the railroad’s right‐of‐way from the main entrance at O’Hara Avenue to Norcross Lane.
The train station platform will be a tremendous benefit to the community. Oakley has many residents that commute to the Bay Area for work every day and the new train platform will provide an alternate mode of transportation and drastically reduce their commute times.
The project, made possible with $8.6 million in state funds, is expected to begin construction soon and complete in 2022, according to Paul Herman of the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority
“This is an exciting time for the City of Oakley, said Romick. “We’re looking forward to bringing a train stop back to the East County.”
Hurry