MARTINEZ — There still may be hope to keep Antioch’s Amtrak station open, but it would be up to Antioch officials to first develop concrete plans to address the safety and security concerns of the station area.
The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, which oversees the passenger rail service in Antioch, said Antioch needs to present viable solutions addressing the challenges faced at the station. That would allow the joint powers authority to start discussions with Amtrak and BNSF Railway, which owns the track.
At the beginning of the SJJPA board meeting on Friday, Tracy Mayor Nancy Young read a statement from chair Patrick Hume, who was absent.
Hume, in his statement, said there seemed to be confusion from his recent meeting with Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe, Antioch Acting City Manager Kwame Reed, and Young earlier this month. He said the decision to decommission the Antioch-Pittsburg Amtrak station and open a new one in Oakley has not changed and is still moving forward.
Hume said during the meeting the group discussed that the SJJPA board could ask BNSF to accept an exemption for the spacing of the train stations in Antioch and Oakley if Antioch took specific steps and put forward plans to change the physical landscape and operational conditions to provide heightened security.
In March 2023, the board voted 6-1 to decommission the Antioch-Pittsburg stop in favor of Oakley. The new station is less than six miles from the Antioch stop, which disqualifies having both stations in operation, as the trains wouldn’t have enough time to accelerate before needing to slow down for the next stop.
“Any suggestion that an action has been undone or a new alternative is promised is inaccurate. We look forward to working collaboratively with all parties to hopefully arrive at a solution that maximizes convenience, ridership, and safety for all,” Hume said in his statement.
Young, also the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission director, echoed Hume’s statement and said the board is looking for specific decisions and opportunities to “perhaps” save the Antioch station.
“If there is a reasonable solution, it will give us ammunition and availability to talk to the BNSF where they will consider the spacing (of the train stations),” she said.
The discussion on the Antioch-Pittsburg station has been ongoing for nearly 15 years, involving multiple entities, including Amtrak and the city of Antioch.
Tamika Smith, director of rail service for SJJPA, briefed the board on the station’s history of safety concerns, including issues with unhoused individuals defecating on a new enclosure for a wheelchair lift, leading to hazmat calls for clean-up. Amtrak staff have also faced frequent challenges with safety and security, including a lack of response from Antioch police.
Staff meetings with the various Antioch city managers, police chiefs and Amtrak officials have been ongoing for the past three years. In the most recent meeting with Reed, interim police Chief Brian Addington and the Amtrak Police Department held last week, Smith said the various parties agreed to talk about measures to make the station safer for the community, passengers and employees servicing the station.
“Unfortunately, there was no plan presented to staff at the time. We were very disappointed that there was no concrete plan for us to report out to you here today,” said Smith.
Hernandez-Thorpe said he understood that he would present the city’s plan on Friday and take the board’s feedback to be presented to the city council, as he has no authority to make decisions without the support of his council members.
The mayor is expected to present his proposal in next month’s city council meeting.
He then laid out some of the proposed ideas to enhance the station, such as increasing the presence of security from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily, decorative fencing around the landscape area to make it difficult for people to loiter, improving lighting and consistent enforcement of encampment areas within the station area.
“By the way, breaking news, because we do that anyway, so, to show images from years ago and say this is the station today is an insult to people,” Hernandez-Thorpe said.
More than 20 community members and representatives from local nonprofits strongly opposed the station closure, adding that it would impact the environment, housing, and the need for accessible transportation for low-income and disabled individuals.
Eddie Gums, who takes the train regularly, said nothing has been done in the last 15 years.
“This is a joke, and I have to say, it’s plain racism. That’s where it comes down to. Turns out black and brown people don’t count,” Gums said. “You don’t care. You haven’t changed anything to make it better, but only try to take it away or make it worse.”
In a letter to the SJJPA, Pittsburg City Manager Garrett Evans said the closure of the Antioch-Pittsburg station makes it difficult for residents to utilize Amtrak. Residents must travel 15.6 miles to the Martinez Station or 11.6 miles to the Oakley station, as opposed to just 5.5 miles from Pittsburg City Hall, Evans wrote.
He said the city “would be happy” to help increase ridership at the station, which he said is about 80 passengers a day.
Contra Costa County Supervisor Diane Burgis of Oakley said Antioch’s city council would now have to agree to the plans and provide funding to ensure the improvements needed to keep the station open.
“As a county supervisor, I am ready to lean in. I’ve talked to our Congress members, our assembly members, folks from our senatorial offices, so we’re all ready to lean in,” Burgis said. “Antioch has to make a commitment, and I think that’s what (SJJPA) staff has been waiting for, and I feel very encouraged by what (Hernandez-Thorpe) has presented, and I look forward to it being introduced to the city council, voted and funded so we can move forward to keep the station open.”
Multiple members of the board, including Leticia Gonzalez of Madera County, Vito Chiesa of Stanislaus County and Doug Verboon of Kings County were interested in hearing what Antioch had to say.
“Even if this station is temporarily closed, but if you can prove to us there is ridership, we will fight for you,” Verboon said.
