Hercules station

Hercules, CA
The proposed station site in October 2012
General information
LocationBayfront Boulevard & Railroad Avenue, Hercules, California
Coordinates38°01′13″N 122°17′13″W / 38.0203°N 122.2869°W / 38.0203; -122.2869
Owned byCity of Hercules
Operated byWETA & CCJPA
Line(s)UP Martinez Subdivision[1]
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport WestCat[2]
ferry/water interchange San Francisco Bay Ferry
Construction
ParkingGarage (proposed)
Bicycle facilitiesyes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeHRC
Proposed services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Richmond
toward San Jose
 Capitol Corridor Martinez
toward Auburn
Richmond
toward Oakland
 San Joaquins Martinez
toward Bakersfield
Location
Map

Hercules station (officially the Hercules Regional Intermodal Transit Center) is a proposed intermodal infill train station and ferry terminal in Hercules, California in Contra Costa County.[3] It is to be the first direct Amtrak-to-ferry transit hub in the San Francisco Bay Area and will be constructed in between the existing Richmond and Martinez stations.[4][5][6] By July 2018, three of the station's six construction phases had been complete, including street at Bay Trail approaches. However, no proposed opening date has yet been announced by the City of Hercules.

Overview

A rendering of the planned station, released by the city in 2018

The station site at Hercules Point, adjacent to Bayfront Boulevard in Hercules, is the subject of a redevelopment effort of the city of Hercules as an office, residential TOD or Transit-oriented development, and intermodal transit hub with a corresponding WestCat bus station and Water Transit Authority ferry terminal. The buses would provide feeder service from the surrounding communities of Pinole, Rodeo, El Sobrante, Crockett, Tara Hills, and Richmond.

Rail

The station will also host a future Amtrak station. The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority granted the station candidate status in February 2020.[7] The governing body of San Joaquin services are studying adding Hercules as an additional stop as of 2020.[8]

Ferry

The ferry will take approximately 42 minutes to San Francisco.[2] Ridership is projected at 1,022 passengers per day by the year 2025. The route will run between this terminal and the San Francisco Ferry Building where passengers may walk, bike or take Muni or BART to nearby job centers in the city's downtown Financial District.

Transit village

A bike and pedestrian friendly community will be built up around the hub to connect it to existing housing in the nearby Refugio and Central neighborhoods.[9] It will feature 220 live/work dwellings in addition to 490,000 sq. ft. (45,522m2) of office, retail (including restaurants and cafes), and public space.[2]

Funding

The funding for this project is being coordinated by partnerships and cooperation between the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, the City of Hercules, and WETA. Funds will be collected from various sources including the Federal Ferryboat Discretionary Fund, Contra Costa County Measure J Sales Tax, Transit Impact Fees, and farebox revenue.[2]

The WETA report indicates that "construction costs for the project are substantially higher compared to other projects due to large mudflats requiring extensive pier and dredging work to access the site."[10]

An additional $30.8M state grant was announced in April, 2023.[11]

References

  1. ^ SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 3.
  2. ^ a b c d "A NEW COMMUTE OPTION FOR HERCULES/RODEO". watertransit.org. WETA. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  3. ^ "Hercules Projects – Intermodal Transit Center". City of Hercules. October 7, 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
  4. ^ Hercules profile, access date July 11, 2008
  5. ^ Waterfront plan could be headed to ballot in Hercules Archived 2012-02-10 at the Wayback Machine, by Tom Lochner, July 1, 2008, access date July 11, 2008
  6. ^ "West Contra Costa Transit Advisory Council Action Plan Minutes" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  7. ^ "In brief: Hercules may get new Capitol Corridor train stop". East Bay Times. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  8. ^ "2020 Business Plan" (PDF). SJJPA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  9. ^ Project map, WETA, access date July 17, 2008
  10. ^ "System Expansion Policy | Water Emergency Transportation Authority".
  11. ^ "Hercules Hub awarded state funds for new Capitol Corridor train station and eventual ferry service for residents and Interstate 80 commuters". 4 May 2023.

Media related to Hercules station at Wikimedia Commons