Coliseum station opened as part of the first segment of the BART system on September 11, 1972. It was soon connected to its namesake, the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum/Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena sports complex, by a pedestrian bridge over San Leandro Street and the Union Pacific Railroad'sright-of-way located adjacent to the sports complex. The bridge initially opened for a brief period in October 1974 for the American League playoffs and the 1974 World Series; it closed on October 18 due to excessive swaying, but reopened in 1975. AirBART bus service to Oakland International Airport began on July 1, 1977, and the station was renamed Coliseum/Oakland Airport to reflect the new connection to the airport. Amtrak's long-distance Coast Starlight service has used the Union Pacific right-of-way since its inception in 1971, but served only the main downtown stops in Oakland at 16th Street station, then Jack London Square station when it replaced the former. Capitol Corridor service began in 1991, but did not initially stop at the Oakland Coliseum site. In 2002, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, in conjunction with Caltrans and the City of Oakland, decided to build a Capitol Corridor station at Oakland Coliseum. The new $6 million Oakland Coliseum station opened on June 6, 2005; it included a newly built accessible connection to the original BART-Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum pedestrian bridge, facilitating a grade separated transfer between the Capitol Corridor and BART. BART considered plans for a rail link to the airport as early as 1970, including a bi-directional loop off the main line, but planning did not gain strength until the early 1990s. Oakland City Council approved the Oakland Airport Connectorautomated guideway transit line in 2009, and construction on the line began in October 2010. The now renamed Coliseum–Oakland International Airport line's Coliseum station opened along with the rest of the line on November 21, 2014, and AirBART service was subsequently discontinued. The conventional BART station's name reverted to Coliseum, allowing the Coliseum–Oakland International Airport line's terminus station at the airport to be named Oakland International Airport station.
Station layout
Amtrak station
The Amtrak station is an unstaffed station at the western end of the 73rd Avenue cul-de-sac with few passenger amenities beyond separate sets of benches sheltered by open-air canopies; a formerly-present QuikTrakticket machine was removed due to vandalism issues. The Union Pacific Railroad's Niles Subdivision has three tracks at the station – two mainline tracks used by Union Pacific freight trains, and a siding track with a single side platform serving Capitol Corridor trains. Oakland Coliseum is primarily served by through trains between Sacramento and San Jose, but also functions as a part-time terminal for some Capitol Corridor service traveling to/from Sacramento. Capitol Corridor trains regularly meet at the CP Coliseuminterlocking immediately south of the station since the service's operation is primarily single-tracked between Oakland and San Jose. An accessible ramp structure connects the platform to the pedestrian bridge.
BART station
The BART station is a three-level elevated station, with fare control and concessions located on the ground level east of San Leandro Street underneath the northern end of the platform. Conventional BART trains serve an island platform between two tracks on the elevated second level. Union Pacific's grade-level Oakland Subdivision parallels BART immediately to the east, separating the station from the adjacent Coliseum neighborhood. A stairlift-equipped accessible pedestrian underpass tunnel runs underneath the Union Pacific right-of-way and connects the fare control area with the parking area and Snell Street. A taxi stand is located along the western side of San Leandro Street just north of 71st Avenue, with a secondary taxi loading zone also located along the eastern side of Snell Street near the bicycle locker area.
Coliseum–Oakland International Airport line
The Coliseum–Oakland International Airport line has one track and one side platform on the third level, with a connection and fare control from the southern end of the main BART platform. It has no direct non-emergency street access and can only be reached from the main BART platform. Unlike conventional BART stations, platform screen doors provide a barrier between the platform and the guideway of the driverless system, making Coliseum one of the first BART stations to feature platform screen doors. The fare for the Coliseum–Oakland International Airport line is charged at Coliseum in both directions.
Bus service
The Oakland Coliseum station is one of the main bus-rail interchanges for East Oakland, and is served 24/7 by various bus services connecting the station with surrounding neighborhoods. It is served by ten AC Transit bus routes, which stop on both sides of San Leandro Street at the station:
Several fare-free local shuttle routes stop at the BART passenger loading zone on the southeastern corner of San Leandro Street and 71st Avenue. The Alameda County East Oakland Shuttle connects the station with county offices at Eastmont Town Center, Edgewater Drive, and Enterprise Way. The nearby Harbor Bay Business Park also offers a pair of shuttle bus routes to the station.
