Train station

Bay Area city fights to save its train station from destruction

Opinion: Eddie Gums, co-chair of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment's Antioch Chapter, explains why the city's train station is essential for its livelihood

By Eddie Gums

On my way to Antioch for a Juneteenth celebration, I unexpectedly ran into my oldest sister, who was sitting in the same Amtrak car. She was headed to the Bay Area from Fresno to celebrate the holiday with her grandchildren, and while chatting, I began singing happy birthday to her. Soon, other travelers joyfully joined in to sing for her. 

These are the unique experiences that I’ve been able to have as a Black elder when I take the Amtrak train to and from the Pittsburg/Antioch Amtrak station. I know when I hop on the train, I can regularly run into family, friends and community members as they make their way to work, school or back home to their families.

Unfortunately, this kind of freedom is under threat, and tens of thousands are set to lose accessibility to this vital service. 

On March 24, 2023, the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) — a regional government body made up of cities served by the San Joaquin Railway Corridor from Oakland down to Bakersfield — voted to decommission the Pittsburg-Antioch Amtrak station and build a station 6 miles away in the city of Oakley. 

This move took the Antioch City Council by surprise. Even Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe described the decision as “unfair” because the city of Antioch and its citizens were not the ones who approved of this closure. 

Instead, Ron Bernal, an appointed city manager (who is now vying for the position of mayor of Antioch), superseded elected officials to push the closure, citing safety and an incident in which an unhoused man was living on top of the station. Bernal, who denies that he’s to blame for the station’s decommissioning, has put the city of Antioch’s future in jeopardy.

The closure of the Pittsburg-Antioch Amtrak station, which has been open since 1984 and represents a vital service for area residents, would devastate the city. Losing this station and its many riders would force more people into cars,  which would exacerbate the traffic that is already bad on our freeways. The move to relocate the station also dampens the city’s growth as without this major transit hub, Antioch will no longer be able to tap into state and federal dollars for transit-oriented affordable housing development. This funding was going to play a key role in building high-density, affordable housing development in the direct vicinity of the station to increase rideability and alleviate the affordable housing crisis. 

When we look into the cities impacted by this decision — specifically Antioch, Pittsburg and Oakley — we cannot ignore who benefits and who suffers the most: 

-Antioch has the highest percentage of users who rely on public transit for work compared to Pittsburg and Oakley.

-Antioch has by far the highest population of Black residents among the three cities. Oakley is by far the smallest city at 43,400 residents, with Black folks representing only 8.3% of the population.

-The homelessness crisis disproportionately impacts Black and Latino folks. According to a June 2021 report by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, “African Americans make up nearly 30 percent of the region’s homeless population” yet are only approximately 5.6% of the population, which is shrinking fast. As for the Latino community, “Latinx households make up only 25% of the general population, but account for 43% of the homeless population.” 

Compared to Antioch and Pittsburg, the city of Oakley has a population that is smaller, whiter and wealthier than both. This is not to criticize our neighbors in Oakley, but it is hard not to see this move by the SJJPA as both racist and classist. 

The SJJPA argues that its reason for the closure is the high rate of homelessness and crime in Antioch. However, closing the station only guarantees homelessness and crime will get worse if vital resources to fund affordable housing and transit accessibility are taken away.

The city of Antioch has been working hard to tackle the housing problem for years. When it was reported back in 2022 that Antioch saw the most evictions in the Bay Area, groups like the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, First 5 Contra Costa and Rising Juntos organized to pass tenant protections like rent control and tenant anti-harassment to keep families housed and off the streets. And with the influx of new residents, especially Black and brown folks pushed out from cities like San Francisco where housing costs are even more unaffordable, it is important we ensure that our city can accommodate the growing need. That requires accessible transit, and affordable housing funding.  

We must also acknowledge the backward nature of how we punish cities and people due to the homelessness crisis. Whether it’s the removal of public benches, closure of parks or closure of an important transit station, we cannot continue to starve our communities of resources and services — blaming it on homelessness — while refusing to work on the root cause to resolve homelessness, like creating more affordable housing and renter protections.

It is not too late for change though. The SJJPA can reconsider the policy where two stations cannot be closer than 6 miles away from each other, so that Antioch, Pittsburg and Oakley can enjoy having stations accessible to people. This connects more families with public transportation and helps curb greenhouse gas emissions from cars while leading to funds for housing development near the stations.

San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, reconsider your decision and do not drop our Pittsburg-Antioch Amtrak stop. This station is a lifeline.