Amtrak vs. Drive to BART
— by Jeffrey Wisniewski — 7 January 2009 — 4 comments below »
A few readers emailed insisting that I under-valued the future Amtrak station when I wrote in Monday’s post, “the ferry terminal (direct to San Francisco) is much more important than the rail station (to Richmond, Emeryville, and the soon-to-be-former A’s baseball stadium).” Well, maybe.
As readers pointed out, Amtrak will provide a link to the BART system via the Richmond station, therefore indirect access to Oakland and San Francisco, both airports (OAK and SFO), and the home of the Oakland Raiders. Amtrak will also provide a direct link to OAK (via an awkward pedestrian overpass and a bus ride), the Raiders’ current stadium, San Jose and Sacramento.
I currently ride BART everyday to work in Oakland (and I also commute to Sacramento regularly). I would not ride Amtrak. If I were to work in San Francisco, however, I would take the ferry. It is all about logistics.
Trip Time
On an average commute morning, it takes 15 minutes to drive to the El Cerrito del Norte station, park (for free), and hit BART. On a good day, 10 minutes; on a bad day, 20. Amtrak (or Capitol Corridor) currently takes 25 minutes to get from Martinez to Richmond. Hercules is halfway in-between, so let’s assume each leg — from Martinez to Hercules and Hercules to Richmond — takes 15 minutes. That is the same time that it takes me to drive and I can leave the car at home. Advantage: Amtrak.
Trip Cost
The trip from Hercules to El Cerrito is twelve miles or so. If you are a regular commuter, your gas mileage is probably twice that (at least), so there-and-back will cost you a gallon of gas. Current prices will not remain, and we approached $5/gallon a few months ago. Let’s assume $5/day to drive. On Amtrak, from Martinez to Richmond costs $57 for ten rides or $152 for the month. That is roughly $5 each way either way you do the math. Let’s assume $8/day assuming a reduced cost for the shorter ride. (The cost of BART tickets are the same.) Advantage: Drive to BART.
Frequency
I can drive anytime I want to BART, and trains depart every 8 minutes on weekday mornings. Amtrak arrives every 40 or 60 minutes. On the way back, I can simply drive home no matter what BART I hit. An Amtrak currently departs Richmond at 6:09 pm, followed by one at 7:17 pm. I would hate to miss that 6:09. Advantage: Drive to BART.
Conclusion
For such a short distance — from Hercules to Richmond — with the travel time, cost, and most important, strict schedule, the benefits of Amtrak are limited compared with driving to the closest BART station (assuming you leave early enough to guarantee an open parking space). Amtrak will certainly provide commuters with a viable option for longer distances — to OAK/SFO, San Jose or Sacramento. Advantage: Drive to BART.
The arrival of Amtrak will be nice, but it will not have the effect of the ferry to San Francisco. With Amtrak, Hercules will be indirect to BART, Oakland and San Francisco. With the ferry, Hercules will be direct to San Francisco.
I would love to say that I would take the train to BART, but in all honesty, it wouldn’t provide that much of a convenience on a daily basis, and I would probably have a headache every time BART is slower than usual, thinking I’ll miss the one-and-only 6:09. I would have the option of leaving my car at home when traveling via OAK or SFO, and it certainly opens the door for more frequent travel to San Jose and Sacramento, and that is exactly why Hercules needs Amtrak.
Let’s not forget the benefit of having an Amtrak station at our doorstep which will link us into the high speed train network, if and when it comes online in California. It would be amazing to be indirectly connected to a high speed train that could take you to the beaches of San Diego or the coasters of Disneyland.
The ferry service is very important in my opinion to put Hercules on the map as they say. I have been watching Hercules for several years now and it just seems that nothing much ever really gets done when it comes to all their waterfront plans. I almost bought there at Promenade in 2003 and am glad I didn’t. The same promises made six years ago have really not changed much. Not trying to be negative, just stating a fact.
Alternately, WestCAT has been operating a direct Transbay Lynx bus service M-F during peak commute AM & PM hours from the Hercules Waterfront, the North Shore Business Park, and the Hercules Transit Center to the San Francisco Transbay Terminal since 2005. Round-trip cash fare is $10 per day, but there is also a discount monthly pass available for those who use the service daily ($140 GP, $70 Snr/Dsbld). The trip takes approximately 40 minutes (using the HOV lanes), and without any major traffic delays.
Additionally, WestCAT operates the Route 30Z Martinez Link bus service to and from the Martinez Amtrak station to the Hercules Transit Center daily M-F all day long and WestCAT accepts Capital Corridor train transfers anywhere within the WestCAT service area for free. The one-way cash fare on the 30Z is $1.75 for the General Public and $0.75 for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities. Monthly passes are also available for $40 GP and $20 Snr/Disabled. There is also an East Bay Value Pass http://www.eastbayvaluepass.com that may also be purchased that is good on all County Connection, Tri-Delta Transit, Wheels, and WestCAT fixed routes for $60 per month.
The WestCAT Express Routes J, JX, & JPX travel to and from the Hercules Transit Center, and multiple other stops throughout the service area to the El Cerrito del Norte BART station. The trip on the JX takes approximately 15-20 minutes, the J 20-30 minutes depending upon where you catch it along its route, and the JPX 15-20 as well. The fare for these routes is the same as the fare for the 30Z. The “J” also operates on the weekends. BART transfers are accepted on these routes for payment of a transfer fare of $1 GP or $0.50 Snr/Dsbld.
I doubt this will be read by anyone, given the age of this post, but here goes:
I am new to Hercules and am reading about the proposed ITC. It seems to be all about ferry, Amtrak, and bus service. I think the Amtrak element is interesting, but why not just push for a BART station near the I-80 instead? BART gives people direct access to San Francisco and the buses could service that station as well.