The Oakland International Airport BART Station opened on November 22, 2014 with the OAK Airport Connector replacing the AirBART Buses that previously operated the 3.2 miles to and from the Coliseum Station (costing $3 in 2014 on top of regular BART fare) to connect the Airport to BART since 1980. Regular AC Transit Bus service on route 73 continues to operate, making the same connection and costing $4 less (with intermediate stops). The station lacks fare gates, all passengers 'pay' for their ride to OAK Airport when they get off the OAK Airport automate cable suspended train at the Coliseum Station with fare gates off that platform (dedecting the Oakland Airport fare that is $6 more than the Coliseum fare), into the regular BART system and down to street level beyond.
The stop consists of an elevated station in the middle of the short term parking area closest to the terminals. The station consists of a single track where the cable-supported trains terminate with two tracks beginning (and running for the entire intermediate length of the line) just beyond the station platform. Visible from streetlevel some of the gears that move the cables that move the short trains are behind some glass and lit at night. This platform and the track area is fully covered by a white roof but isn't climate controlled, with simple glass windscreens for walls. Glass shapes are along this windscreen, some of the 50 roundels of A- Round Oakland by Gordon Huether are along this windscreen (the rest are at the Coliseum stop). The cable AGS line uses platform screen doors and the track is fully glassed around. Small LED montiors display countdown train information and PSA messages like "Coliseum Train. Please allow everyone to exit before boarding" when a train is in the station. The only amenities are a few maps and a couple of small triangular with wood shaped tops benches. There is also a desk where a guard seems to be stationed out in the open. The stop lacks any TVMs for passengers to buy tickets while they wait for the next BART to OAK peoplemover.
There is one exit at the east end of the platform with a covered staircase between two escalators and an elevator that lead down to the edge of the terminal roadway near the parking lot. At street level lettering above the end of the canopy over the escalators simply has the BART logo and Oakland International Airport. Below this and above the start of stairs/escalators a sign simply says BART entrance.
To get between BART and the terminals passengers must walk across at a crosswalk the four sets of terminal roadways (with the various curbs of covered islands for different passenger pick-up and drop-offs) and about 10 lanes of traffic. Luckily the crosswalk is completely covered. Once reaching the airport, the crosswalk is directly outside the entrance to the Terminal 1 Baggage Claim with the ticket counters just a short walk to the right. The Oakland Airport doesn't have two-levels to separate arrivals and departures, all are together with one single, wide terminal roadway. The end of Terminal 2 is just a short walk outside to the left. The two terminals are connected airside, just not landslide.
Photos 1-23: 19 January, 2015
