California State Rail Plan 2005-06 to 2015-16

Chapter II – Capital Program
second phase of parking (about 50 spaces) was added in summer 2005. While the
primary upgrades at the Berkeley station that were completed in August 2005
focused on a new platform and landscaping, the project also includes improved
access for transit and parking. The new Oakland Coliseum station opened in
June 2005 and includes parking as well as connections to Bay Area Rapid Transit
(BART) and the Oakland International Airport. Funds are also programmed for a
second parking lot at the Fremont-Centerville station.
DECREPIT STATIONS
Section 14036.2 of the Government Code requires the identification of the three
most decrepit intercity rail passenger stations in the State used by trains operated
by Amtrak. Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, copyright
1988, defines decrepit as "broken down or worn out by old age or long use.”
The following stations are those identified by the Department as the three most
decrepit:
Dunsmuir (5750 Sacramento Avenue): This station serves Amtrak’s
Coast Starlight. It is an old building with the paint peeling extensively on the
outside. The rain gutters are rusty and deteriorating. One of the walls has a brick
section that looks deteriorated. The waiting room has two chairs and the only
heater visible is in the restroom.
Madera (Avenue 15½ at 29th Road): This station is a shelter in a residential
industrial area. It is unattractive, with only a transit-type bench in disrepair and
covered with graffiti. There is no lighting in the shelter or landscaping at the
station. The parking lot is paved but deteriorated with many potholes, and many
of the lights are broken. Representatives of the City, County, Amtrak and the
Department are planning to move the station to a new location that is near a major
road serving Madera’s population center and is more convenient for passengers
than the existing station location in a warehouse area. The project will include
purchase of ROW, construction of a two-lane access road, a new parking lot,
platform, and shelter for the new station. The project is planned for completion in
2006-07.
Needles (900 Front Street): This station serves Amtrak’s Southwest Chief.
The station is boarded up and fenced off from the adjacent park.
Nearly $1.2 million in State and other funds are available for the planned
rehabilitation of the station. Additional funding, however, is needed and is being
pursued for the rehabilitation. Under Amtrak’s operating agreement, only the
platform is used for passenger service at this station.
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