BART to single track in Lafayette Saturday 11/16 for last major work on track rebuild
BART will reduce service between the Orinda and Walnut Creek stations on Saturday, November 16th to make way for a vital track rebuilding project near the Lafayette Station. Trains will run on a single track between Orinda and Walnut Creek. Riders should expect delays of 20 to 30 minutes. Additionally, some trains might be turned back at Orinda Station to maintain our overall schedule. If that occurs, riders will be asked to leave the train and then board a different train.
The work will require overnight closures of the two left lanes of eastbound Highway 24 at Oak Hill Road in Lafayette. The hours of the lane closures will be from 11 pm Friday, November 15 until 6 am Saturday, November 16 and then again from 11 pm Saturday, November 16 to 6 am Sunday, November 17. This work will not require daytime lane closures of Highway 24.
The single tracking is needed because work that had been planned to take place during BART’s last track shutdown on the weekend of October 26-27 was limited due to the elevated fire danger. This Saturday is expected to be the last time work on this track rebuilding project will impact service. More work will take place in the coming weeks during overnight hours when BART is not in service.
Workers have been active around-the-clock during four previous shutdown weekends. They’ve also been working for weeks during overnight hours when BART is not in service to replace nearly 50-year-old track components in Lafayette that have outlived their useful lives. The track rebuilding project is funded by voter-approved Measure RR.
Project highlights
Once the work is complete, here’s some of what will have been accomplished in the trackway:
*Replaced six track switches. These are large track components that can measure up to 200 feet in length and are instrumental in allowing BART trains to move from line to line.
*Installed 5,000 feet of new rail, replaced 10,000 feet of train control cable, and 3,200 feet of third rail.
*Replace about 2.8 million pounds of rock ballast, which is essential for stabilizing the rail.
The noise level of trains will decrease, and passengers will experience a smoother, safer, and more reliable ride once work is complete. The Antioch-to-Millbrae line that extends through Contra Costa County into San Francisco is the busiest in the BART system. These track improvements will benefit tens of thousands of riders every day for decades to come.
RR at work
BART District voters prioritized rebuilding BART when they approved Measure RR in 2016. The measure provides $3.5 billion in bonds to replace outdated infrastructure across the BART system.
RR-funded projects like this one are having a real impact on the daily riding experience. BART has already successfully completed track rebuilding projects between the Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre and Concord stations as well as between the West Oakland and 12th Street/Oakland City Center stations. Replacing aging track equipment that in some cases dates to the beginning of service in 1972 is one reason BART’s customer on-time rate is at 92%.