ANTIOCH — Antioch will make investments $375,000 to improve its Amtrak station, even because the cease faces a doable closure.
The Antioch Metropolis Council on Tuesday unanimously permitted funding for a wide range of enhancements simply because the close by Oakley station is slated to be operational in 2027.
Antioch has been preventing to maintain the Amtrak station open after the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority board voted in March 2023 to decommission the cease on I Road in favor of Oakley.
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Antioch Metropolis Supervisor Bessie Marie Scott recommended the deliberate enhancements might change the station’s destiny.
“It isn’t just because the stop has been decommissioned, it’s because (we) want to keep it open for the next three years and then go back to the Joint Powers in a couple months to see if it will be permanently kept open,” mentioned Scott. “We’re just making the upgrades that we needed anyway, for the area of its city-owned property.”
Scott mentioned there are some security issues and enhancements in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Act that should be accomplished. She mentioned about 100 residents take the prepare from the station every day.
The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, which oversees passenger rail service between Oakland and Bakersfield, made the choice to shut the Antioch station following complaints that riders felt unsafe.
Metropolis officers mentioned they have been caught off guard by the board’s resolution and have been pushing to maintain it open.
Throughout a September 2024 assembly, Antioch residents and then-Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe mentioned the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority didn’t conduct complete group engagement or evaluation on the closure’s influence.
On Tuesday night time, Antioch’s Public Works Director Scott Buenting introduced a conceptual plan for the station’s enhancements and upgrades. The plan contains beautifying pathways, planting new bushes, fencing, and extra lighting.
“It is something that we think would be a betterment to the area and provide us with a better chance of keeping the Amtrak station in the future,” mentioned Buenting.
Scott mentioned the beautification and improve plans can be developed in session with Amtrak. Funding for the enhancements will come from town’s gasoline tax income.
Councilmember Louie Rocha mentioned many residents have contacted him and questioned whether or not town is doing sufficient to advocate for the cease to stay in operation.
“I think this is a step in that direction,” mentioned Rocha. “There’s no guarantee, I know that, but I think it’s the best we can do.”
Throughout public remark, some residents questioned town’s plan to spend cash on upgrades when there was no assure that the cease would stay in service.
Resident Andrew Becker mentioned he attended San Joaquin Rail Authority conferences and was beneath the impression that Antioch wouldn’t be retaining the station open in its present mannequin.
“Why are we spending significant dollars and time improving the station that we don’t have any authority to keep? It’s not our decision,” mentioned Becker. “We can go to another meeting, and we can beg as much as we want, and the past mayor did, but it’s not our decision unless other conversations were had.”
