Walnut Creek station

File:County Connection route 9 bus at Walnut Creek station, November 2019.JPG

The elevated BART tracks run approximately northeast–southwest through the station area. Two parking garages and a residential building are on the west side of the station; former parking lots planned for development are on the east side. Walnut Creek station has two side platforms serving the two tracks. The unpaid fare lobby is located under the center of the platform. The paid lobby is to the north, with escalators and stairs to the platforms. Elevators to the platforms and bike storage are to the south.

Walnut Creek is a transfer point for a number of County Connection local and express routes:

• Weekday: 1, 4, 5, 9, 14, 21, 93X, 95X, 96X, 98X
• Weekend: 4, 301, 311, 321

The station is also served by several regional routes: the SolTrans Solano Express Yellow Line and Blue Line, and WHEELS route 70X. All buses stop in the busway inside the south garage.{{cite web |url=https://511.org/media/553/show |title=Transit Stops: Walnut Creek Station |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Commission |date=January 6, 2022}}

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The BART Board approved the name "Walnut Creek" in December 1965.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune/144328970/ |title=Names Approved for 38 Rapid Transit Stations Around Bay |newspaper=Oakland Tribune |date=December 10, 1965 |page=10 |via=Newspapers.com}} Walnut Creek station opened on May 21, 1973 as part of an extension from MacArthur to Concord.{{BART History}} The city of Walnut Creek began operating a shuttle service between the station and the downtown area on December 12, 1974.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune/146304091/ |title=Shuttle Bus Ceremony Tomorrow |newspaper=Oakland Tribune |date=December 11, 1974 |page=15 |via=Newspapers.com}} It was taken over by the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection) on July 1, 1980.{{cite book |url=https://countyconnection.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/FINAL_County-Connection_SRTP-FY23-28.pdf |title=2023–2028 Short Range Transit Plan |page=3 |publisher=Central Contra Costa Transit Authority |date=December 15, 2022}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner/146314686/ |title=Will extra miles dim the smiles of genial county service? |newspaper=The San Francisco Examiner |date=June 1, 1982 |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}}

BART released a plan in 2004 that called for changes to the station and surrounding area. To accommodate increased ridership, a new south paid lobby was to be added, with new escalators and stairs to the platforms. The existing paid area would be enlarged with new elevators added, and the platforms would be widened.{{rp|51}} Seismic retrofitting of the parking garage took place in 2009–2010.{{cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/eqs/updates_archive |title=Earthquake Safety Program Construction Updates (archive) |date=2009 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}} BART released conceptual modernization plans, which largely followed the recommendations of the 2004 plan, in May 2019.{{cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2019-05-01%20Walnut%20Creek%20Modernization%20Plan.pdf |title=Bay Area Rapid Transit Walnut Creek Station Modernization & TOD Access Improvements Project: Conceptual Station Plan |date=May 1, 2019 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}

Thirteen BART stations, including Walnut Creek, did not originally have faregates for passengers using the elevator. In 2020, BART started a project to add faregates to elevators at these stations. The new faregates at Walnut Creek were installed in September 2022.{{Cite web |title=New Fare Gates & Station Hardening |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |url=https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904224616/https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate |archive-date=September 4, 2023 |date=July 2023}}

File:South garage at Walnut Creek station, November 2019.JPG

Walnut Creek station was originally intended to serve the surrounding low-density suburban neighborhoods.{{rp|21}} The opening of the station prompted commercial and office developments in Walnut Creek, culminating in 1985 with the ten-story buildings of the "Golden Triangle" near the station. In March 1985, city voters passed a height restriction law to reduce the amount of development.{{cite news |url=https://www.walnutcreekmagazine.com/2023/04/02/430984/pivotal-moments-in-history-the-golden-triangle-and-measure-a |title=Pivotal Moments In History: The Golden Triangle and Measure A |newspaper=Walnut Creek Magazine |date=April 2, 2023 |first=Harper |last=Klein |access-date=April 29, 2024}}

In 2000, BART began negotiations with a developer that sought to build a transit-oriented apartment complex on the station parking lots.{{cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/about/business/tod/walnutcreek |date=2023 |title=Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) - Walnut Creek |access-date=April 29, 2024 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}} The 2004 station plan proposed development of the parking lots with 440 residential units, {{convert|8700|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} of office space, {{convert|33000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} of retail space, and 1,373 parking spaces.{{cite web |url=http://www.bart.gov/docs/planning/WalnutCreekCSP.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120120202/http://www.bart.gov/docs/planning/WalnutCreekCSP.pdf |archive-date=November 20, 2010 |title=Walnut Creek Comprehensive Station Plan |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |date=June 2004}}{{rp|20}} The developer first submitted plans to the city in 2005; the project was indefinitely delayed in 2009 due to the Great Recession. The plans were ultimately approved by the city in October 2012, with the parking garage to be the first portion built.{{cite news |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2014/10/24/walnut-creek-bart-transit-village-parking-garage-approved-construction-likely-to-start-soon/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427022216/https://www.mercurynews.com/2014/10/24/walnut-creek-bart-transit-village-parking-garage-approved-construction-likely-to-start-soon/ |archive-date=April 27, 2017 |title=Walnut Creek: BART Transit Village parking garage approved, construction likely to start soon |first=Elisabeth |last=Nardi |date=October 24, 2014 |newspaper=The Mercury News}}

A parking lot on the west side of the station closed on February 3, 2018. The 900-space south parking garage was constructed in its place, which allowed other parking lots to be closed for the new development.{{cite press release |url=http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2018/news20180130 |title=New parking garage construction on the south lot at Walnut Creek Station begins |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |date=January 30, 2018}} The new garage, which includes a three-lane bus plaza, opened on March 29, 2019. The north and east parking lots closed at that time.{{cite press release |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2019/news20190315 |title=New South Garage at Walnut Creek Station opens 3/29 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |date=March 18, 2019}} Construction of a 358-unit apartment building on the north lot took place from 2019 to 2023; development of the east lots is planned.{{cite press release |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2019/news20190814-0 |title=New development construction adjacent to Walnut Creek Station |date=August 14, 2019 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}} The vehicle and pedestrian entrance from North California Boulevard was relocated to the north on November 10, 2022.{{cite press release |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2022/news20221101 |title=Walnut Creek Station: new vehicle entrance to open on November 10 |date=November 1, 2022 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}

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{{reflist}}

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• [http://www.bart.gov/stations/wcrk BART - Walnut Creek]
• [https://www.bart.gov/about/planning/walnutcreek BART – Walnut Creek Station Modernization]

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Category:Bay Area Rapid Transit stations in Contra Costa County, California

Category:Stations on the Yellow Line (BART)

Category:Walnut Creek, California

Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1973