El Cerrito del Norte (BART station)
Encyclopedia
El Cerrito del Norte, frequenly shorterned to del Norte, is one of two BART stations in El Cerrito, California
, just east of the Cutting Boulevard
interchange of Interstate 80
parallel to San Pablo Avenue and the Ohlone Greenway
straddling the Richmond border
. Del Norte opened to revenue service on January 29, 1973 as part of the original BART system. The station serves as the de-facto end of line for the Richmond line as it is the northernmost station along the congested I-80 corridor. The station serves the northern portion of El Cerrito and the central areas of Richmond in addition to the west county area and points beyond BARTs coverage area. El Cerrito del Norte is Spanish
for "north hillock
" or "North El Cerrito". The station serves as a regional transit hub for local AC Transit
bus services including a BRT stop
, and for commuter feeder services from Solano
, Napa
, and Marin Counties
in the North Bay
and other regions of Contra Costa County
as well.
The city of El Cerrito is planning and searching for funds to develop the area around the station as a transit oriented development (TOD) similarly to other transit village
, with the reservation that the development must be appropriately scaled.
This station has a Library-a-go-go machine, a library book vending machine that was added in June 2009 for the Contra Costa County Library
system. In 2005 "Ak's Food Corner" opened at the station selling newspapers, flowers, hot dogs, drinks, snacks, fruit, high-value BART blue tickets.
provides service in western Alameda and Contra Costa counties in addition to commuter service to San Francisco. The station has connecting and feeder service by AC Transit from Albany
, UC Berkeley, Berkeley
, UC Village
, Hilltop Mall Shopping Center, Contra Costa College
, El Portal Shopping Center, El Cerrito
, Kensington
, Richmond
, Richmond Parkway Transit Center
, El Sobrante
, and San Pablo
. AC Transit provides comprehensive circulatory service in the immediate surroundings in addition to competing commuter service into San Francisco
.
provides service in the western Contra Costa County communities of Hercules
, Tara Hills
, Bayview-Montalvin Manor, Pinole
, northern Richmond, Hilltop Mall, Rodeo
and Hercules Transit Center
. Buses serving the station primarily connect the Hilltop Area, San Pablo Avenue corridor, and Hercules areas with the station.
, Suisun City
)
Golden Gate Transit
(Contra Costa County: Point Richmond; Marin County: San Rafael
)
Napa VINE
(Solano County: Vallejo
; Napa County: American Canyon
, Napa
, Yountville
, St. Helena
, Calistoga
)
Vallejo Transit (Solano County: Vallejo)
, Orchard
, IHOP, Dollar Tree
, and Staples. For years a Target lay next door but was closed when the Great Recession economy was found not to support this old location and a new one located in the nearby Macdonald 80 Shopping Center
. It has now been remodeled into a large Safeway
supermarket with a small shopping strip and room reserved for high density dwellings. Del Norte Plaza lays cady corner from the station and has small offices providing legal and dental services. On the north side of the station there is a motel, the Del Norte Place apartments, a Honda dealership, Starbucks
, Macdonald's, Louisiana Fried Chicken
, Home Depot and local restaurants. To the south of the station lay Playland-Not-At-The-Beach
amusement park museum, a post office and the El Cerrito DMV. To the east lay single family homes up a sloping hill.
El Cerrito, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
, just east of the Cutting Boulevard
Cutting Boulevard
Cutting Boulevard is a major east-west arterial trunk road in the city of Richmond, California it begins in the historic neighborhood of Point Richmond at the base of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and flows through the South Richmond forming the border with that neighborhood and Marina Bay as does...
interchange of Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
parallel to San Pablo Avenue and the Ohlone Greenway
Ohlone Greenway
The Ohlone Greenway is a pedestrian and bicycle path in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area.The path is named for the Ohlone Indians who originally lived in the area....
straddling the Richmond border
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
. Del Norte opened to revenue service on January 29, 1973 as part of the original BART system. The station serves as the de-facto end of line for the Richmond line as it is the northernmost station along the congested I-80 corridor. The station serves the northern portion of El Cerrito and the central areas of Richmond in addition to the west county area and points beyond BARTs coverage area. El Cerrito del Norte is Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for "north hillock
Hillock
A hillock or knoll is a small hill, usually separated from a larger group of hills such as a range. Hillocks are similar in their distribution and size to small mesas or buttes. The term is largely a British one...
" or "North El Cerrito". The station serves as a regional transit hub for local AC Transit
AC Transit
AC Transit is an Oakland-based regional public transit agency serving the western half of Alameda County and parts of western Contra Costa County in the western, Bay-side area of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area...
bus services including a BRT stop
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
, and for commuter feeder services from Solano
Solano County, California
Solano County is a county located in Bay-Delta region of the U.S. state of California, about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento and is one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. The county's population was reported by the U.S. Census to be 413,344 in 2010...
, Napa
Napa County, California
Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is coterminous with the Napa, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population is 136,484. The county seat is Napa....
, and Marin Counties
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
in the North Bay
North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The North Bay is a subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States. The largest city is Santa Rosa. It is by far the least populous and least urbanized part of the Bay Area...
and other regions of Contra Costa County
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
as well.
Station
This station features large parking areas throughout including surface parking and a four-story parking garage on the east side. There are 29 bus bays that serve six bus agencies for fixed route service and various paratransit and dial-a-ride shuttles. The bus bays are predominantly located on the west side of the station. There are also reserved bicycle lockers and open air racks available. There is a kiss and ride and taxi zone on the east side of the station. The station area is surrounded by local businesses, some of which are run down and also underutilized parcels and big-box retailers. The Bay Area Rapid Transit District developed a station improvement plan in 2004 to create a transit village surrounding the station. This plan determined that parking should be places closer to the freeway to reduce traffic and that the impact of the large amount of buses and area needed for them had to be mitigated in some manner. Furthermore the report established the need to expand the station paid area, platforms, and vertical logistics (more stairs and elevators within the paid area) to allow more passengers to use the station and decrease dwelling times during congested alighting times.The city of El Cerrito is planning and searching for funds to develop the area around the station as a transit oriented development (TOD) similarly to other transit village
Transit village
A transit village is a residential development planned around a transportation hub, such as a train station, with the intent to make it convenient for village dwellers to get to/from work or run errands and travel via a public transportation network....
, with the reservation that the development must be appropriately scaled.
This station has a Library-a-go-go machine, a library book vending machine that was added in June 2009 for the Contra Costa County Library
Contra Costa County Library
Contra Costa County Library is a public library that is part of Contra Costa County, California, United States. There are 26 community libraries, access to electronic information via a website, over 455,000 cardholders and more than 7 million items borrowed annually...
system. In 2005 "Ak's Food Corner" opened at the station selling newspapers, flowers, hot dogs, drinks, snacks, fruit, high-value BART blue tickets.
AC Transit
AC TransitAC Transit
AC Transit is an Oakland-based regional public transit agency serving the western half of Alameda County and parts of western Contra Costa County in the western, Bay-side area of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area...
provides service in western Alameda and Contra Costa counties in addition to commuter service to San Francisco. The station has connecting and feeder service by AC Transit from Albany
Albany, California
Albany is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 18,539 at the 2010 census.-History:In 1908, a group of local women protested the dumping of Berkeley garbage in their community...
, UC Berkeley, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, UC Village
UC Village
UC Village, also called University Village or University Village Albany, is a housing community for students who are married or have dependents. It is owned and administered by the University of California, Berkeley. It is located within the city limits of Albany about two miles away from the main...
, Hilltop Mall Shopping Center, Contra Costa College
Contra Costa College
Contra Costa College, in San Pablo, California, is the west campus of the Contra Costa Community College District. It is part of the California community colleges system, one of the three college systems in California.- History :...
, El Portal Shopping Center, El Cerrito
El Cerrito, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
, Kensington
Kensington, California
Kensington is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area, in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 5,077 at the 2010 census.- Law and government :Kensington is an unincorporated area of Contra...
, Richmond
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
, Richmond Parkway Transit Center
Richmond Parkway Transit Center
The Richmond Parkway Transit Center or RPTC is a park and ride lot and bus terminal located in Richmond, California. It is named after the adjacent Richmond Parkway. It serves as a transfer point for the WestCAT and AC Transit...
, El Sobrante
El Sobrante, California
El Sobrante is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 12,669 at the 2010 census...
, and San Pablo
San Pablo, California
San Pablo is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city of Richmond surrounds nearly the whole city. The population was 29,139 at the 2010 census. The current Mayor is Paul V. Morris, and the current Vice Mayor is Cecilia Valdez. Current Councilmembers include Arturo M....
. AC Transit provides comprehensive circulatory service in the immediate surroundings in addition to competing commuter service into San Francisco
San Francisco Transbay Terminal
San Francisco Transbay Transit Terminal, or simply Transbay Terminal, was a transportation complex in San Francisco, California, USA, located roughly in the center of the rectangle bounded north–south by Mission Street and Howard Street, and east–west by Beale Street and 2nd Street...
.
WestCat
WestCATWestCAT
WestCAT is a public transportation service in western Contra Costa County . It is a service of the Western Contra Costa Transit Authority....
provides service in the western Contra Costa County communities of Hercules
Hercules, California
Hercules is a city in western Contra Costa County, California. Situated along the coast of San Pablo Bay, it is located in the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about northeast of San Francisco. The city has a 2010 population of 24,060 according to the U.S...
, Tara Hills
Tara Hills, California
Tara Hills is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 5,126 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land....
, Bayview-Montalvin Manor, Pinole
Pinole, California
Pinole is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 18,390 at the 2010 census. It is one of many small “bedroom communities” along the I-80 corridor in Western Contra Costa County. It is located about northeast of San Francisco, and approximately a half-hour...
, northern Richmond, Hilltop Mall, Rodeo
Rodeo, California
Rodeo is a census-designated place located in Contra Costa County, California on the shore of San Pablo Bay. The population was 8,679 at the 2010 census. The town is named for the livestock roundups common in the late 19th century...
and Hercules Transit Center
Hercules Transit Center
Hercules Transit Center is a major commuter hub in the western Contra Costa County city of Hercules, California. It is anchored by WestCAT bus services. The center was originally on San Pablo Avenue...
. Buses serving the station primarily connect the Hilltop Area, San Pablo Avenue corridor, and Hercules areas with the station.
Commuter feeder service
FAST (Solano County: FairfieldFairfield, California
Fairfield is a city located in Solano County in Northern California, USA. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately from the city center of both cities, approximately from the city center of Oakland, less than from Napa Valley, 18...
, Suisun City
Suisun City, California
Suisun City is a city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 28,111 at the 2010 census. The city takes its name from the adjacent Suisun Bay, which in turn is named for the Suisunes, a Native American tribe of the area.-Geography:...
)
Golden Gate Transit
Golden Gate Transit
Golden Gate Transit is a public transportation system serving the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in California, United States. It mainly serves Marin and Sonoma Counties, and also provides limited service to San Francisco and Contra Costa County.Golden Gate Transit is one of three...
(Contra Costa County: Point Richmond; Marin County: San Rafael
San Rafael, California
San Rafael is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
)
Napa VINE
VINE (Napa County)
VINE is a public transportation service in Napa County, California, USA and is under the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency. The system offers extensive service throughout the County along with providing connections to other public transportation systems in adjacent counties.-Vehicles...
(Solano County: Vallejo
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
; Napa County: American Canyon
American Canyon, California
American Canyon is a city located in southern Napa County, California, northeast of San Francisco. It is part of the San Francisco Bay Area. The 2010 census reported the city's population at 19,454. Its zip code is 94503, and its area code is 707...
, Napa
Napa, California
-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
, Yountville
Yountville, California
Yountville is an incorporated town in Napa County, California, United States. It is in the North Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 2,933 at the 2010 census. Almost one third of the town's population lives on the grounds of the Veterans Home of California.The town's name...
, St. Helena
St. Helena, California
St. Helena is a city in Napa County, California, United States. It is part of the northern San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 5,814 at the 2010 census....
, Calistoga
Calistoga, California
Calistoga is a city in Napa County, California, United States. The population was 5,155 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , 99.30% of it land and 0.70% of it water.-Climate:...
)
Vallejo Transit (Solano County: Vallejo)
Station Area
The station is surrounded by many businesses including the Del Norte Marketplace shopping center with WalgreensWalgreens
Walgreen Co. , doing business as Walgreens , is the largest drugstore chain in the United States of America. As of August 31st, the company operates 8,210 locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1901, and has since expanded...
, Orchard
Orchard Supply Hardware
Orchard Supply Hardware LLC is a California-based "Do-It-Yourself" home and garden retailer. Headquartered in San Jose, California, OSH is a leading chain of home improvement and garden retail stores with nearly 100 locations throughout the state of California.OSH primarily serves retail DIY and...
, IHOP, Dollar Tree
Dollar Tree
Dollar Tree, Inc. is an American chain of discount variety stores that sells every item for $1.00 or less. A Fortune 500 company, Dollar Tree is headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia and operates 4,010 stores throughout the 48 contiguous U.S. states. Its stores are supported by a nationwide...
, and Staples. For years a Target lay next door but was closed when the Great Recession economy was found not to support this old location and a new one located in the nearby Macdonald 80 Shopping Center
Macdonald 80 Shopping Center
Macdonald 80 Shopping Center or simply Macdonald 80 is a 200,000 sq. ft. regional shopping mall in the North & East neighborhood in Richmond, California anchored by a Target store. The center was largely demolished and rebuilt after suffering from urban decay and blight...
. It has now been remodeled into a large Safeway
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
supermarket with a small shopping strip and room reserved for high density dwellings. Del Norte Plaza lays cady corner from the station and has small offices providing legal and dental services. On the north side of the station there is a motel, the Del Norte Place apartments, a Honda dealership, Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
, Macdonald's, Louisiana Fried Chicken
Louisiana Fried Chicken
Louisiana Fried Chicken is an American Fast Food chain started in 1976.-History:The company serves fried chicken and other Southern and Cajun foods. There are over 90 locations operating in the United States and one in Cambodia opened in 2009. The company has locations in Georgia, Illinois, Texas,...
, Home Depot and local restaurants. To the south of the station lay Playland-Not-At-The-Beach
Playland-Not-At-The-Beach
Playland-Not-At-The-Beach is a non-profit, family-oriented museum in El Cerrito, California celebrating America's bygone amusements operated entirely by volunteers....
amusement park museum, a post office and the El Cerrito DMV. To the east lay single family homes up a sloping hill.
External links
- BART - El Cerrito del Norte Station Overview
- Friends of El Cerrito del Norte Community Organization website
- Transit unlimited profile