{{short description|Cable car maintenance facility and proposed station in Oakland, California}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{infobox station | name = Doolittle | style = BART | image = Doolittle car barn from Hegenberger Road, March 2018.JPG | caption = Doolittle Maintenance and Storage Facility in 2018 | address = Hegenberger Drive at Doolittle Drive<br />Oakland, California | coordinates = {{Coord|37|43|42|N|122|11|59|W|format=dms|display=inline,title|type:railwaystation_region:US-CA}} | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 14 | platforms = 2 [[side platform]]s (proposed) | status = Maintenance and storage center<br />Infill station proposed | other_services = {{Adjacent stations|system=BART|line=OAK|left=Oakland International Airport|right=Coliseum|note-mid=Proposed station}} | other_services_header = Proposed services | other_services_collapsible = no }}
The '''Doolittle Maintenance and Storage Facility''' (also known as the '''Wheelhouse''') is the operations management center for the [[Bay Area Rapid Transit|BART]] [[Oakland Airport Connector]]. The building is used for storage and maintenance of the [[Cable Liner]] cars, and is also the powerhouse for the system's {{convert|12|ft|adj=on}} drive wheels.
In the initial plans for the Oakland Airport Connector, the Doolittle Drive facility was planned to also serve as a passenger station. The station was not built, but the facility's design allows for it to be built in the future. Vehicles stop at the structure in both directions to switch cable loops, but do not allow passengers to disembark.
== History == [[File:Potential platform area at Doolittle car barn, March 2018.JPG|thumb|left|Trackway at the MSF, with planned platform site at left]] The Final Environmental Impact Report for the Oakland Airport Connector [[automated guideway transit]] ([[people mover]]) system, released in 2002, called for two intermediate stations on the line at Doolittle Drive and Edgewater Drive. Those stations were intended to support the [[Oakland, California|City of Oakland]]'s plans to improve development along Hegenberger Road – an area largely occupied by airport hotels and industrial businesses.<ref name="addendum" /> A November 2006 addendum removed the proposed Edgewater Drive station after [[transit-oriented development]] plans fell through, and relocated the Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) on a short spur adjacent to the Doolittle Drive station to reduce costs.<ref name="addendum">{{Cite web |date=November 2006 |title=Draft BART-Oakland International Airport Connector Final Environmental Impact Report/Final Environmental Impact Statement Addendum |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/OAC_FEIR-FEIS_Addendum_Draft.pdf |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref>
By the time construction began in 2013, several additional design changes were made: the MSF was reduced in size and relocated to between the tracks, and the station at Doolittle Drive was deferred until funding was available.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2014 |title=BART to OAK Fact Sheet |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/BART%20to%20OAK%20Fact%20Sheet%202014_0.pdf |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref> A former union house was demolished to provide space for the MSF.<ref name="addendum" /> The Oakland Airport Connector opened on November 22, 2014, with only the two terminal stations.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=New BART service to Oakland International Airport now open |date=November 21, 2014 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2014/news20141121-0}}</ref> If funding is secured, an [[infill station]] can be added at Doolittle Drive by constructing platforms, a below-track mezzanine, and stairs and elevators for access.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 2016 |title=BART to OAK Service Frequently Asked Questions |url=http://www.oaklandairport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/BARTtoOAKFAQ.pdf |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == {{commons category-inline}}
{{Bay Area Rapid Transit|state=collapsed}}
[[Category:Rail transportation in Oakland, California]] [[Category:Future Bay Area Rapid Transit stations]] [[Category:Bay Area Rapid Transit stations in Alameda County, California]]