Hercules point

Hercules Station & Terminal

Hercules Amtrak Station and Ferry Terminal is a planned intermodal infill railway station and ferry terminal in Hercules, California in Western Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay Area between the existing Martinez and Richmond stations. This will be the first direct rail-to-ferry transit hub in the Bay Area.

Overview

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 and 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 BART extension or wBART DMU extension from the Richmond station and will serve as its terminus. Currently the draft environmental report is under works and public hearings will be held for residents in 2008 at the city-level.

Ferry

The ferry will take approximately 42 minutes to San Francisco. 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 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. 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.

Funding

The monies for this project are being coordinated by partnerships and cooperation between the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Board, 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.

Regional relevance

In the early 2000s the region has experienced unprecedented expansion of public transit systems and this station/terminal will be part of this ongoing trend that has included an 8.7 miles (14.0 km) BART extension to San Francisco International Airport and a new infill station at West Dublin, a new Muni Metro line part of the partially constructed Third Street Light Rail Project, and the expansion of intermodality at the Oakland Airport/Coliseum BART station with an added infill Capitol Corridor station, a new a light rail system in Santa Clara County and the formation of a Water Transit Authority for the San Francisco Bay and it will continue with several Amtrak stations added for commuter service in Union City, Hercules, Benicia, Travis Air Force Base, and Dixon in addition to the already completed Oakland Coliseum/Airport station and ferry terminals in Redwood City, South San Francisco, Treasure Island, Martinez, Antioch, Richmond, and Berkeley.