Richmond station (California) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richmond, CA
The main entrance to Richmond station in April 2018
Location	1700 Nevin Avenue Richmond, California United States
Coordinates	37°56′13″N 122°21′11″W / 37.936811°N 122.353095°W / 37.936811; -122.353095
Owned by	Bay Area Rapid Transit Union Pacific Railroad (Amtrak platform)
Line(s)	UP Martinez Subdivision BART R-Line
Platforms	1 island platform (Amtrak) 1 island platform (BART)
Tracks	3 (Amtrak) 2 (BART)
Connections	AC Transit: 70, 71, 72M, 74, 76, 376, 800 Flixbus
Construction
Parking	768 spaces
Bicycle facilities	Racks and 32 lockers
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: RIC
History
Opened	January 29, 1973 (1973-01-29) (BART) October 30, 1977 (Amtrak)
Rebuilt	October 18, 2007
Traffic
Passengers (2020)	4,554 (weekday average) (BART)
Passengers (FY2019)	291,270 (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Emeryville Terminus California Zephyr Martinez toward Chicago Berkeley toward San Jose Capitol Corridor Martinez toward Auburn Emeryville toward Oakland – Jack London Square San Joaquins Terminus      Coast Starlight does not stop here Preceding station Bay Area Rapid Transit Following station El Cerrito del Norte toward Millbrae Richmond–​Millbrae Terminus El Cerrito del Norte toward Berryessa/​North San José Berryessa/​North San José–​Richmond
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Emeryville toward Los Angeles Coast Starlight 1978–1996, 2020–2013 Martinez toward Seattle Oakland-16th Street toward Los Angeles Spirit of California 1981–1983 Martinez toward Sacramento Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station Stege toward Oakland Pier Overland Route San Pablo toward Ogden Shasta Route San Pablo toward Portland

Richmond station (officially the Richmond Transit Center) is a Amtrak intercity rail and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station located in downtown Richmond, California. Richmond is the north terminus of BART service on the Berryessa/​North San José–​Richmond and Richmond–​Millbrae; it is a stop for Amtrak's Capitol Corridor, San Joaquin, and California Zephyr routes. The accessible station has one island platform for the two BART tracks, with a second island platform serving two of the three tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad Martinez Subdivision for Amtrak trains. It is one of two transfer points between BART and Amtrak, along with Oakland Coliseum station.

The Southern Pacific (SP)-controlled Northern Railway opened through what is now Richmond in 1878. A flag stop at Barrett's Station was established by the mid-1880s; it was renamed Richmond in 1902 during the town's rapid growth. The SP constructed a new station at Richmond in 1904 and again in 1914–15. The SP station was demolished around 1968, though passenger continued until the formation of Amtrak in 1971. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway opened to Richmond in 1900; service ran until 1968, and the station was demolished in the 1990s.

The modern station opened on January 29, 1973, as the northern terminal of BART service. Controversies during planning included the station location and the design of the concourse. Amtrak service to the station began on October 30, 1977. A new Amtrak platform was built in 2001, followed by a renovation of the whole station completed in 2007. A parking garage replaced the surface parking lot in 2013.

History

Railway service to Richmond started around 1900 when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) opened the western terminus of its line near the port where the rail company ran ferries to take passengers across the bay to the city of San Francisco. Around that same time the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) opened a station just south of the current station at MacDonald Avenue. BART service at this station began along dedicated tracks that paralleled the SP line on January 29, 1973. Amtrak service to the station started, using the SP line's tracks, in early 1978. A station house for the Amtrak service was constructed in 1984. A transit village and rebuild of the western approach to the station was started in 2007 and a dedication ceremony was held on October 18, 2007.

A transit store opened at the station in August 2008, joining other major stations in the system.

The Coast Starlight no longer stops at Richmond as of January 14, 2013.

Ridership

Of the 74 California stations served by Amtrak, Richmond was the 16th-busiest in FY2012, boarding or alighting an average of about 773 passengers daily.

Platforms and tracks

Images for kids

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  The under-track concourse in 2021

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  Mosaic relief by William Mitchell

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  Postcard view of the Macdonald Avenue underpass, with the 1904-built SP station at right

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  The BART station in the 1970s

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  The San Francisco Zephyr at Richmond, 1980

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  A Capitol Corridor train at the station in 2018, with the former shelter at right

See also

In Spanish: Estación Richmond para niños