Antioch Amtrak station to be decommissioned despite safety, beautification upgrades by city

ANTIOCH Despite safety and beautification efforts by Antioch the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority board manifested no sign Friday of reversing its decision to decommission the Antioch-Pittsburg Amtrak station With rail arrangement moving to Oakley a city with less than half of Antioch s population the station on I Street will cease operations in Following the decision to close the station Antioch has spent close to out of approved by the City Council to upgrade it Improvements have included enhancements to safety better visibility for passengers and an overall beautification of the station and surrounding areas At Friday s San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority board meeting Antioch City Manager Bessie Scott highlighted the station s importance We re really excited that we got to do this project because the assets supports our downtown revitalization and enhances mobility choices for the duration of the station being open and it reinforces our long-term commitment to the waterfront corridor reported Scott Antioch Society and Economic Rise Director Zach Seal communicated this news organization that the environmental justice element in the city s General Plan identifies the Antioch Amtrak station as a key society transit connection The City s Downtown Specific Plan makes several references to the Amtrak station as a vital component of the downtown area s multi-modal transportation system that provides opportunities for residents workers and visitors to walk bike drive or access transit including Amtrak Seal announced in an email While most of people will continue to arrive downtown by car the Specific Plan encourages people to use alternative modes of transportation rather than cars to get to and around Downtown According to information from the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority the station saw riders between October and September So far the city has completed new pathways and constituents access areas landscape improvements installation of Paid Fare Zone signage and fencing to prevent unnecessary loitering It also has improved ADA-accessible routes and station entry points The city expects to begin work to improve lighting around the station next month and two new station platform shelters with additional lighting are expected to be delivered in January Scott stated she intends to allocate an additional in her budget to hire private prevention to supplement the Antioch Police Department s presence at the station During Friday s presentation Tamika Smith director of rail system for the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority announced between September and November the Amtrak Smart Union a body that represents train conductors lodged six formal complaints about the station Five of them were surrounding fare evaders that boarded the train in Antioch headed towards Stockton the sixth one was around an occurrence a crime that happened at the station and Antioch police responded as well as Amtrak police explained Smith In a separate email to this news organization San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority Masses Relations Manager Ahdel Ahmad revealed staff routinely encounter multiple fare evaders boarding at the Antioch station leading to operational disruptions A newest occurrence caused a -minute delay creating safety risks because individuals cannot be removed until the next stop Ahmad disclosed Employees also review a lack of visible police presence while a patrol conveyance is occasionally parked nearby officers are not present on the platform and inadequate lighting during evening hours further compounds these concerns stated Ahmad Staff have documented serious incidents including physical assault and threats involving a firearm demonstrating the serious nature of these safety concerns The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority which oversees tourist rail system between Oakland and Bakersfield decided to decommission the Antioch station at its March meeting due to past rider complaints of feeling unsafe City personnel reported they were caught off guard by the board s decision and have been pushing to keep it open Related Articles Antioch man in critical condition after being hit by driver Waymo gets permission to expand robotaxi organization to East Bay North Bay Sacramento Driver dies after crashing into building in San Bruno Tanker truck crash fuels East Bay traffic nightmare Bay Area airport operations return to normal following resumption of full air traffic During a September meeting Antioch residents and then-Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe noted the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority did not conduct comprehensive group engagement or analysis of the closure s impact The board disclosed Antioch needed to present viable solutions to address challenges at the station In late the authority under the direction of the board formed the Ad Hoc Antioch Train Station Working Group which included city agents residents local elected authorities and staff from the agency Smith stated the safety of passengers and employees remains the agency s top priority Antioch did step up and take care of the station increase the beautification and guard efforts in order to maintain the station until Oakley opens Smith stated this news organization The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority disclosed the ad hoc working group was formed to ensure meaningful engagement with population and agency partners to address safety and safeguard challenges during the remaining years of operation Smith noted that the replacement Oakley station is located only miles away but still serves the same region We re working with the area to prepare them for that station because it s really close to Antioch it s right next door announced Smith We re not moving the station out of the county it s still within the county lines so we don t look at it as a disparaging thing for the area It s an exciting thing for the public to be able to still stay within their county The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority will continue engagement with the working group and other agencies on progressing outreach measures explained Smith Eddie Gums a society representative of the working group announced he often relies on the Antioch Amtrak station to go to Stockton and other places I do hope we get to keep this train station here it s very much needed and if it takes an act of Congress to do it let s do that stated Gums