An eBART train at the Antioch BART Station. Photo by BART.

The wait is almost over for East County residents.  BART to Antioch will open for passenger service on Saturday, May 26, 2018.  To celebrate, BART will hold a community ribbon-cutting celebration on Friday, May 25, 2018 at 11am at the new Antioch Station featuring free preview train rides and local entertainment.

New service is fast, clean, and comfortable

The service between the Pittsburg/Bay Point Station and Antioch is 10 miles long and adds two new stations.  The extension will be able to carry an estimated 2,400 people in each direction, per hour, during rush hours.

“This is a new dawn for transit in this part of the Bay Area,” said BART Director Joel Keller, who serves East Contra Costa County and led efforts to bring the extension to the region. “Making this visionary project a reality took the long-term dedication of East County residents, and the commitment of many local, regional, state, and federal leaders.”

BART to Antioch is part of the Highway 4 Widening Project, which expanded Highway 4 between Pittsburg and Brentwood. The combined project was designed to bring commute relief as soon as possible with minimal disruption to the traveling public.

The $525 million cost of the extension is about half of the $1 billion cost estimated for extending BART’s traditional electric-powered line.

Quiet DMU trains offer a smooth ride

The extension marks the first time BART is using Diesel Multiple Units or DMU train cars.  They meet the US Government’s strictest emissions standards and use renewable diesel, an advanced biofuel produced from bio-based sources such as vegetable oil.

The DMUs run on their own tracks in the median of State Route 4 and connect with the existing BART system at a Transfer Platform just east of the Pittsburg Bay Point Station. At the Transfer Platform, riders simply exit one train and walk across the platform to board the other train. BART passengers trying to reach the Pittsburg Center Station or the Antioch Station will remain in the BART train to reach the Transfer Platform. The Transfer Platform is only reachable by train. 

The trains boast a variety of amenities including digital signs, automated audio announcements, and modern climate control systems for those hot summer months.

Two new stations  

The new Pittsburg Center Station is located at the Railroad Avenue overpass of Highway 4 in Pittsburg. The new Antioch Station is located at 1600 Slatten Ranch Road in Antioch. Learn more about the stations and service in our FAQ.

Schedule

The BART to Antioch schedule has been incorporated into our QuickPlanner, which can be found on the bart.gov homepage. For schedules by line or by station, enter a date of May 26, 2018 or later.

Community celebration open house

The public is invited to share the excitement with us at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, May 25, 2018 at 11 a.m. at the Antioch Station. Free preview train rides will be provided all day and into the evening. 

WHAT: Public celebration of the opening of BART to Antioch.

• There will be no BART service to event.
• Free shuttles will run between the Pittsburg/Bay Point and Antioch Stations between 9am and 9pm every 15 to 30 minutes. The shuttles will accommodate people with wheelchairs.
• Tri-Delta Transit‘s 300 bus also runs between the Pittsburg/Bay Point and Antioch Stations.
• Attendees will get free rides on the line’s new environmentally-friendly Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) train.
• The rides will start in Antioch and will end at the transfer platform in Pittsburg.
• They will not stop at Pittsburg Center Station until after 3pm and will not connect to the main BART system.
• BART’s new Fleet of the Future train cars will be at the transfer platform for tours, but will not disembark.

WHERE: Antioch BART Station, 1600 Slatten Ranch Road
East of Hillcrest Avenue exit off Highway 4

WHEN: Friday, May 25, 2018
Ribbon cutting ceremony 11am-Noon
Free public train rides 1pm-8pm

Speakers will include BART General Manager Grace Crunican, BART Board members and regional elected officials and transportation leaders. Entertainment provided by the Pittsburg High School Jazz Combo and the Antioch High School Music Masters

Dear Editor:

Our heartfelt “Thank you” to the following gracious donors to our annual Royal Family Tea, which helps raise funds to send foster children to summer camp:

Girl Scouts Troop # 33670, Trinity Gunsmithing/Chris O’Connor, AMC Theaters, Julie Bretz, Jenness Park, The Queen Bee Quilt Shop, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Twin Palms/Alicia Powell, Spirit West Coast, Shirley Rudy, Clif Bars/Mary Morris, Pier 39, Camp Alta, Encore Gym, Cal Expo-California State Fair, Skipolini’s, Lucy’s Nail Salon, Boomers, Straw Hat Pizza, Sky High, Delta Athletic Club, Zephyr Grill & Bar, Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Work Wear, Rock-N-Jump, Jessica Billheimer- Doterra, Harvest Park Bowl, Eden Plains Nursery, Starbucks-Antioch, LiveVantage- Erica Turner & Joslyn Fenyes, B.J.’s, Delta Bowl, Pump it Up, Black Angus, Black Diamond Gym, Trader Joe’s, Stockton Ports, Oasis, Choices Case Management, Inc., Good Scents Florist, Of His Fold Photography-Rita Ortiz, Allen Payton & Antioch Herald/Delta RC Hobbies, Melissa Buell Photography, Pam Epstein, Transparent Productions-Spirit West Coast, Sunny Fenyes, Allendorph Family, Bricks4Kidz, Alert K-9, Shirashoni, Randall Chastain, Hook Line & Sinker, The Game Pizza Parlor, Golden Hills Community Church, Mason Gizard, Martha Facio, A Sweet Affaire Bakery, Le Gatea, Whole Foods-Walnut Creek, Alpine Bakery, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Cheesecake Factory-Walnut Creek, Starbucks, and Kelly Summerour.

Without the support of our community, this event would not be possible. On behalf of the children we serve, and you have blessed, we humbly say, Thank you!

Sue & Dave Bowers, Directors

Royal Family Kids – Brentwood

The Contra Costa Elections Division reminds all residents that the deadline to register or re-register to vote in the June 5th Statewide Direct Primary Election is this Monday, May 21st.

To be eligible to register, a person must be a United States citizen, be at least 18 years old by Election Day, and not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction.

You must re-register if you have moved or changed your name (married, divorced, etc.).

To register, go online to http://registertovote.ca.gov, or pick up a paper card at any City Hall, post office, library or the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder-Elections Office located at 555 Escobar Street in Martinez.

You can check your voter registration status online at www.cocovote.us by clicking on the “My Voting Information” button.

By Sergeant Matthew Harger #3305, Antioch Police Field Services Bureau

On Friday, May 18, 2018 at about 8:35 pm, Antioch Police units were dispatched to the area of Hillcrest Avenue and Larkspur Drive regarding an armed carjacking that had just occurred. According to the 19-year-old victim, he was in the parking lot of Hillcrest Park when he was approached by the responsible who pointed a gun at him and forced him out of his car. The responsible got into the victim’s car and fled the area.

A short time later Antioch Officers located the stolen car in the 4800 block of Lone Tree Way and attempted to stop it. The responsible attempted to flee in the stolen car but almost immediately collided into two cars on the roadway. The responsible fled on foot in the area of Sagebrush Drive and Lone Tree Way but was quickly caught by officers after a brief foot pursuit. A loaded semi-automatic handgun was found near the responsible after he tried to discard it while fleeing.

The 19-year-old male suspect was arrested and booked into the Contra Costa County jail on charges related to armed carjacking, possession of loaded, concealed firearm, and evading the police.

The occupants of the two vehicles involved in the collision all declined medical assistance at the collision scene.

This preliminary information is made available by the Field Services Bureau. This case is currently under investigation and there will be no further information released regarding this case at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at

(925) 778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

The Antioch School Board Trustees and Superintendent Stephanie Anello at the board meeting on May 16, 2018. Screenshot from the district’s YouTube Channel

The Antioch School Board will hold another special meeting for the annual evaluation process of Superintendent Stephanie Anello on Monday, May 21. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. with public comments followed by the closed session discussion, since it is a personnel matter.

The meeting will be held in the Board Room at the district offices at 510 G Street in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown. The public portion of the meeting can be viewed on the district’s YouTube Channel. To view the agenda for the meeting, click here.

Interstate 680 / Highway 4 Interchange. From CCTA.net

Assemblymember Tim Grayson (D-Concord) announced that the California Transportation Commission (CTC) has approved $34 million in funding for improvements of the Interstate 680 / State Route 4 highway interchange in Concord, one of the most congested freeway interchanges in the Bay Area.

“Anyone who has driven in the East Bay knows this interchange is notorious for gridlock, which is why I have been working for more than a year with the CTC, Department of Transportation, and Contra Costa Transportation Authority to secure the funding needed to get this project started,” Grayson said. “As a critical artery for the region, it is incumbent on us to ensure the conditions of this interchange are improved so commuters are able to navigate this interchange without the additional stress caused by standstill traffic and bottlenecks. I applaud the CTC for funding this project so that the people of my district, and the East Bay Area, will be able to spend less time sitting in traffic and more time at home with their families.”

The I-680/SR4 Interchange connects a major north-south thoroughfare for Solano, Contra Costa, and Alameda Counties with the main east-west artery for Contra Costa County. In its review, the Commission concluded the existing I-680/SR 4 interchange has deficiencies that contribute to heavy traffic congestion and inefficient traffic operations. This project, one of several phases of improvements planned by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority for Highway 4, will construct almost 10 miles of new traffic lanes to ease congestion and will retrofit bridges to meet seismic standards as well as extend on-ramps to improve traffic safety. CCTA was awarded the funding through the CTC’s competitive Local Partnership Program.

Grayson represents the 14th Assembly District that includes the communities of Benicia, Concord, Clayton, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Vallejo, Pittsburg and Walnut Creek. For more information please visit the Assemblymember’s website, www.assembly.ca.gov/a14.

Featuring T.I., Ludacris, and many more

ANTIOCH, Calif., May 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ – XO Music Festival kicks off July 13-15, 2018 making its debut as the Bay Area’s premier music, art, food and fun festival at the Contra Costa Event Park in in Antioch.

With festivals across the country putting fresh names, faces, and genres on their lineups, XO Music Festival is looking to draw a plethora of music fans and create a unique experience through amazing art installations that encompass a variety of eye catching colors, design, and styles that have taken over social media, having been essential parts of festivals like Coachella, and Tomorrowland.

A lineup including mainstream and pop names does not fail to include rock, indie, and classic throwback names in the day to night festival, opening doors to a variety of fans that are a unique and cultured group in the music scene. It will invite them into an unforgettable world with XO’s ultra-luxury VIP rooms and elevated experiences, which includes bottle service, food service, and table dining. Then transitioning to a classy and timeless event with visuals and colored installations including graffiti, murals, interactive activities – just a few elements of the experience.

Artists confirmed to perform at this year’s XO Music Festival in Antioch, California are T.I., Ludacris, Rev Run of RUN DMC, The Diplomats – Jim Jones, Cam’Ron, Juelz Santana, Freekey Zekey, and Fabolous, Sugar Hill Gang and more. Also included are Survivor and the Canadian group MAGIC! Their hit song “Rude” has reached over 2 billion views just on YouTube.

Currently, the East Bay Area, boasts a short list of yearly music festivals that encompass such a variety of talent or any sort of elusive experience.

In addition to live music, the XO Festival will have comedy, culinary offerings and artwork. Keep your eye out for top rated chef’s and food celebrity hosts to be a part of the culinary experience at XO Music Festival. Some of the up-and-coming comedians who are confirmed for the festival include Drennon Davis, Jordan Cerminara, Irene Tu, Nina G, Emily Catalano, Matt Lieb, Stroy Moyd, Shanti Charan, Chey Bell, Mean Dave and Chad Opitz.

XO Music Festival has a great opportunity to make this the staple event for location, timeliness, classiness, and experience including celebrity hosted stages.

As far as food and beverage, expect the best in top tier beer and wine options and more. Fans should be sure to take advantage of dining and table service options available as part of the XO experience.

XO Festival’s arrival comes at an appealing time in music as producers and artists are collaborating across genres forcing festival and entertainment producers to be more creative, carving out the most extravagant fairy tale like experiences with visuals, fireworks, and large art installations being must haves.

With Bay Area fans always showing up to support hometown artists, expect no surprise or shortage of local talent, especially with the recent project success of artists like E-40, G-Eazy and Too $hort.

Over 150+ Performances will grace the seven stages at XO Music Festival. For full lineup and tickets visit: http://xomusicfestival.com/

Expect XO Music Festival to be a festival that is able to fit into the mold of the current music trends, while also establishing an identity for experience, location and attracting music fans of all ages and genres.

The Contra Costa Event Park is located at 1201 W. 10th Street in Antioch.