BART pushes back opening of Warm Springs Station to next year

It was expected to be open by the end of this year, but now BART’s long-awaited 5.4 mile addition from the Fremont line to Warm Springs has been pushed back because testing is taking longer than expected.

BART officials said the South Fremont/Warm Springs station won't open until sometime next year. It will be after the first quarter when they know for sure.

Sky Fox was overhead the $890 million expansion project as crews put the finishing touches on Wednesday. One of the highlights includes a tunnel that'll run underneath Lake Elizabeth.

94 percent of the contract is said to be complete. While it's on track with budget, BART won’t meet the expected December finish date.

“It’s very hard to know exactly when you are going to open because it all comes down to testing, “said BART Spokeswoman Alicia Trost. “You can be on time with building which is what we are. If you hit a snag or testing is taking a little bit longer than they are supposed to you have to troubleshoot it, then you have a bit of a delay which is what we are in now.”

Trost said the critical testing phase is hard to predict given officials must conduct thousands of tests from the automatic train control, communications to the traction power systems.

Right now, BART is testing with dummy trains, and then actual BART trains will be brought in. After that, the Public Utilities Commission will need to give its approval before it opens.

“We don't have an idea yet,” said Trost. “We know the first quarter of next year we will be able to provide a clearer date so everyone that's anticipating the new station will get a better idea.”

“I was really hoping that the Warm Springs one would be open,” said Rolio Escalada of Santa Clara.

Escalada lives in Santa Clara and commutes four hours every day driving and taking BART to San Francisco for his job.

“A little bit disappointed but what can I do,” said Escalada.

“Oh no that's too bad because the Fremont residents have been waiting for the Warm Springs BART to open for awhile,” said Paulette Landry of Fremont.

When given the reason, most riders took the delay in stride.

“It’s understandable,” said Landry. “I’m agreeable if it's testing. Eventually it will open.”

“If BART feels that it's not safe enough or it's necessary to do the testing that's okay,” said Kansara.

The Warm Springs BART station needs to open for the BART to Silicon Valley project to happen, which the VTA is handling.

The delay will have no impact on that extension project which is said to begin ridership in 2017.