Oakland Airport Connector Options Analysis Executive Summary
August 2010
Executive Summary PROJECT PURPOSE This report providers an updated and expanded analysis of options for the Oakland Airport Connector. The options studied consist of No Action (retain existing AirBART service), Rapid Bus, Full Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and Automated Guideway Transit (AGT). The Rapid Bus and Full BRT configurations analyzed in this report have not been studied previously and incorporate information about BRT service that was not available at the time the Final Environmental Impact Report/Final Environment Impact Statement (FEIR/FEIS) for the Oakland Airport Connector was completed in 2002. In addition, the report updates information for the No Action and AGT options based on the most up‐to‐date data available. The intent of this report is to inform current discussions on the Oakland Airport Connector through a valid comparison of the four key modal options. Subsequent to the certification of the FEIR/FEIS, there has been a considerable drop in airline passenger volumes at Oakland International Airport, the shift of some flights to San Francisco International Airport, a significant reduction in projections of future airline passenger volumes at the airport, and other factors. This report uses BART’s most recent passenger volume forecasts for 2013 (assumed year of project opening) and 2030, and also looks at ridership under conditions when the airport has reached the maximum number of annual passengers it can serve (approximately 30 million annual passengers). The report also uses the most up‐to‐date information on road conditions and analysis using BART’s selected AGT option. Compared to the AGT option in the 2002 FEIR/FEIS, the AGT Project selected by BART has a top speed of 31 MPH instead of 45 MPH, has longer walk distances, and does not include the two intermediate stops.
OVERVIEW OF NEW ALTERNATIVES According to the Bus Rapid Transit Practitioner’s Guide published by the Transportation Research Board, BRT is “a flexible, high performance rapid transit mode that combines a variety of physical, operating and system elements into a permanently integrated system with a quality image and unique identity.” BRT can incorporate various combinations of the following features: •
Running ways (operations in mixed traffic, bus lanes, grade‐separated busways);
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High‐quality stations with passenger amenities;
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Distinctive vehicles;
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Efficient fare collection;
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Technology that provides passenger information, interacts with traffic signal systems, and so on;
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Frequent, all‐day service; and
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Distinctive system identity.
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.
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