This line is part of the following subdivision:
· Coast subdivision from San Luis Obispo (via Santa Clara and Newark) to North Elmhurst
From south of San Jose to north of Richmond, the railroad is in an urban area, although some of the line through the marshes and salt flats bordering the southern end of San Francisco Bay seems quite far from built-up areas. At Santa Clara, the East Bay line turns away from the Coast Route, running through the aforementioned marshes and salt flats to Newark.
At the signal bridge at CP Coast, UP ownership resumes. From the end of Two Main Tracks at Expressway (MP 43.6), this line is single-track CTC all the way through Newark and Carter. After speed limits of 30 mph for passenger and 25 mph for freight through CP Coast, the line heads north with speed limits rising past 50/50 at Expressway, to 60/50 mph, through an industrial area of San Jose on the west side of the airport, passing under the Lewis Street road bridge, across grade crossings at Reed Street and Martin Avenue, with two industrial spurs going off on the west side, and then angles north-northwest, bridging over Central Expressway, US 101 and Lafayette Street, with the latter street then alongside to the east and Basset Street alongside to the west. a street crosses at grade, Montague Expressway bridges overhead, , the old Agnew depot, still standing on the west side, Agnew Street crosses at grade, and there is a detector at MP 42. At Agnew (MP 41.8), an industrial track once headed off to the northeast (there's nothing but housing, in 2006). After passing under Tasman Drive that bridges overhead, there is a Capitol Route passenger station at Great America (MP 40.7), with its platform on the west side of the line, and a pedestrian bridge to a golf course on the west side. The line crosses Yerba Buena way at grade, passes under the SR 237 freeway bridges, and crosses Great America Parkway at grade.
Soon afterwards, the line turns north, across the Guadalupe River, once on a through truss bridge (speed limit 50-40), but a concrete deck bridge with no special speed limit in 2006, into Alviso (MP 38.5), where an industrial track heads east, with a grade crossing at West Taylor Street, with the river alongside to the west, and grade crossings at Catherine Street and Elizabeth Street, with the river one block away to the west, passing Alviso Marina County Park and Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuges on the west side of the line as it heads north-northeast into the marshes and salt flats, with the NWR now on both sides of the line, and then across Coyote Creek and Mud Slough on two more erstwhile through truss bridges (concrete deck bridges in 2006) at Drawbridge (MP36.5), where speed limits rise to 70-60 and the line turns west-northwest again.
Drawbridge was once the site of an outlaw town, where alcohol flowed freely during prohibition, and where the few remaining wooden structures, between Coyote Creek and Mud Slough, are slowly sinking into the marshland that once protected the activities there from the law. North of Drawbridge, the line leaves the NWR, there is a grade crossing at Auto Mall Parkway to the East Bay Disposal Company on the west side of the line, and both sides of the line are filled with salt flats and salt pans, where brine from the bay is pumped in and then drained and slowly evaporated, leaving pure table salt behind. The salt plants in this area are now operated by Cargill Salt, but were previously Leslie Salt and originally Morton Salt. There is another bridge over a stream north of some salt pans, and then more salt pans, including one right at the connector to the Centerville Line, a bit further north..
There is a grade crossing at Mowry Avenue, a 3,980 ft. siding at Allbrae (MP 34.6-33.7), where an industrial spur heads northeast, the line turns northwest, with other industrial spurs on both sides of the line, Rickwell, at the south end of the Newark yard tracks, a stretch of Two Main Tracks from Mowry (MP 33.0) to Newark (MP 31.0), a salt pan and spurs on the west side from the salt company, a warehouse on the west side with its own spur, and a grade crossing at Central Avenue. At the north end of the siding the Centerville Line to Niles Junction heads northeast on a wye junction, and that to the Dumbarton Bridge and Redwood Junction west-southwest on another wye at Carter (MP 30.6), just further north, while the Mulford Line continues northwest. Speed limit through the wye junctions is 35 mph for both passenger and freight.
This line is part of the following subdivision:
· Coast subdivision from San Luis Obispo (via Santa Clara and Newark) to North Elmhurst
The single track line, once Track Warrant Controlled Automatic Block Signaled from Carter to North Elmhurst, is now CTC (in November, 2010), with searchlight signals replaced by Tri-Lights (April 29, 2011). The line crosses Thornton Avenue at grade, just north of the northernmost wye junction north of Carter (MP 30.6-), passes a north-facing spur on the east side, crosses Mayhews Landing Road and Haley Street at grade in an area of 'ticky-tacky' housing, turns north-northeast and crosses Jarvis Avenue at grade, passes a detector at MP 29.2, where the speed limit is 70-60, passes under SR 84 coming east from the Dumbarton Bridge, under Ardenwood Boulevard, through another ticky-tacky housing area, over Paseo Padre Parkway, crosses the Alameda County Flood Channel at Hall, crosses Lowry Road at grade on the north bank of the channel and turns north-northwest across Alvarado Boulevard, to a 3,248 ft. siding at Alvarado (MP 26.1), where the speed limit is 60-60, and an industrial spur heads northeast. There are grade crossings at Dyer Street, Smith Street, and Union City Boulevard, with 'ticky-tacky' housing behind sound-reduction walls on both sides.
The line crosses Alameda Creek, near MP 23.6, passes Baumberg (MP 23.0), where the speed rises to 70-60 and there is a grade crossing at Baumberg Avenue, passes under SR 92 coming east off the San Mateo Bridge, crosses Clawiter Road at grade near Mt. Eden (MP 21.5), passes Russell (MP 20.4), where there are north-facing industrial spurs both east and west, and a golf course to the east, crosses Sulphur Creek, with Hayward Regional Seashore on the west side of the line, passes Robert, where there is a spur to the west, and crosses an inlet off the bay and passes Intermediate Signals.
After crossing Grant Avenue at grade, the line crosses San Lorenzo Creek, passes through another housing area surrounding the Snelling Boulevard grade crossing, crosses Alameda Flood Control Channel, reaches extra tracks at MP 16.8, with three south-facing industrial spurs on the east side and one to the west, crosses Farallon Drive, passes a south-facing spur to the east, crosses Fairway Drive at grade, past a south-facing spur to the east, and two extra tracks to the east, and across Marina Boulevard and Williams Street at grade in the area with the industrial spurs, and passes a south-facing spur on the east side and beneath Davis Street to Mulford (MP15.7, where the speed limit drops to 50-40, the original narrow-gauge South Pacific Coast line on this route once continued straight ahead onto Alameda Island, and the present line turns north-northeast across another inlet, past four extra tracks to the east and a bridge over drainage, under the I-880 bridges, and across Knight Street and Edes Avenue at grade, to the junction with the Hayward Line at North Elmhurst (MP 13.5, where TWC ends and CTC begins.
This line is part of the following subdivision:
· Niles subdivision from Newark (via Niles and North Elmhurst) to 10th Street (Desert Yard), Oakland
The Two Main Track CTC line heads northeast from Newark (MP 34.9 on this route), with a speed limit of 15 mph for passenger, 10 mph for freight, around the wye crossing Sycamore Avenue at grade, to its apex, with a signal bridge on each line, at Cherry (MP 34.5), where the speed limit rises to 79-45, crossing the divided Cherry Street at grade, passing under Newark Boulevard bridging overhead, crossing Cedar Boulevard at grade, bridging over I-880 on a through girder bridge, crossing Blacow Road at grade, past a detector at MP 32.7 with Hansen Avenue alongside to the north, across Dusterberry Way, with Baine Avenue alongside to the north, Maple Avenue, and Fremont Boulevard at grade. The speed limit drops to 45 mph at the Fremont-Centerville passenger station (MP 32.0), where the depot and parking lot are on the north side of the line, and the line curves to almost due east at Centerville.
The line passes over Paseo Padre Parkway on a bridge, beneath the BART Fremont Line, and crosses Shinn Street at grade. The Two Main Tracks reduce to just one track, CTC, at Shinn, MP 30.1, where the speed limit drops to 15-10 for the traversal of the curves at Niles Junction. First comes a wye junction with the former SP "Milpitas Line" (UP Warm Springs subdivision), which runs north-northwest to south-southeast at this point, coming north from the former SP Warm Springs yard on the parallel line from San Jose to Niles Junction. [In 2006, this appears as several tracks coming in from that line, all trailing in from the southwest.] At the point where the north leg of the wye joins the line heading north-northwest, a connector leaves to the east to join the former WP line through Niles Canyon at the "real" Niles Junction, while the former SP line crosses that line just a little further "west" (north) at the location of the erstwhile Niles Tower, known as "Niles Junction" (MP 29.7).
This line is part of the following subdivision:
· Niles subdivision from Newark (via Niles and North Elmhurst) to 10th Street (Desert Yard), Oakland
From the crossing with the former WP line at "Niles Junction" (MP 29.7), the speed limit rises to 35 mph, the line crosses the Alameda Flood Control Channel (which becomes a river just west of the bridge) and Niles Canyon Road on bridges, and the single-track CTC former SP "Hayward Line" reaches the erstwhile wye to the remnants of the former SP Niles Canyon line now used by the Pacific Locomotive Association, which heads off to the northeast at this location. The north edge of the wye was at Niles (MP 29.3), where the line turns northwest and the speed limit rises to 79-50. The line bridges over Sullivan Underpass, and the former Niles depot, now used as a museum, is (in 2005) on the east side of the line, north of the location where it once stood and may stand again. [In 2009, this depot, and a freight depot, are on the west side of the line, facing west, with no track in front of them.]
There is a grade crossing at Nursery Avenue, a detector at MP 28.2, the line turns north-northwest again at Decoto (MP 26.6), where there used to be a number of industrial spurs on both sides of the line (still industrial land, but no spurs in 2006), and crosses Decoto Road, H Street, E Street, with a street alongside to the west, and Whipple Road at grade. A spur heads off to the west, and the BART line comes alongside to the west, with its Hayward Yard and shops. The former WP main line accompanying the BART line on its west side, crosses over to the east side of that line while both are still adjacent to the ex-SP line's west side, and then both the BART and ex-WP lines cross overhead on a single bridge. The line crosses Industrial Parkway West at grade, there is an extra track on the west side, a detector at MP 23.1, a grade crossing at Schafer Road, at Tennyson Road and at Harder Road, and an 11,263 ft. siding on the west side at Hayward (MP 20.9-18.7), bridging over Jackson Street (SR 92) and under Winton Avenue, and the Hayward passenger station is on the east side of the line just south of the A Street bridge over the line. (The north end of the siding is a mile or so north of the station!)
There are grade crossings at West Blossom Way, Paseo Grande, a through truss bridge over drainage, a grade crossing at Lewelling Boulevard, San Lorenzo (MP 17.6), the SR 238 freeway bridges overhead, there are grade crossings at Hesperian Boulevard, Halcyon Drive, Washington Avenue, Marina Boulevard, Castro Street, Williams Street, Alvarado Street and West Estudillo Avenue, and Intermediate Signals at Estudillo (MP 16.5), followed by a grade crossing at Davis Street and several spurs serving industries on the west side. In the city of Oakland, there is a grade crossing at 125th Avenue before the beginning of Two Main Tracks, CTC, at South Elmhurst (MP 13.7), and the junction with the "Mulford Line" at North Elmhurst (MP 13.5), where an erstwhile SP industrial track to Stonehurst once headed east.
This line is part of the following subdivision:
· Niles subdivision from Newark (via Niles and North Elmhurst) to 10th Street (Desert Yard), Oakland
From North Elmhurst (MP 13.5), the Two Main Track, CTC, line heads between northwest and north-northwest (in a direct continuation of the "Hayward Line" further south), past grade crossings at 98th and 88th Avenues, a detector at MP 12.4, the Hegenberger Road bridge overhead, a bridge over Lion Creek, a passenger station (platform on the east side only) at CP Coliseum (MP 12.1), adjacent to the Oakland Coliseum, CP 66th Avenue (MP 11.8), adjacent to the grade crossing of the eponymous street, a bridge over Lion Creek, and a spur track trailing in from the south (on the west side of the line). There is a grade crossing at 50th Avenue, and a recent (1999) connection at Melrose (MP 10.4), where a connector from the former WP main line trails in from the east. The line continues across High Street at grade, through Alameda (MP 10.3), bridges over 42nd Avenue, and crosses 37th Avenue at grade.
The south leg of a wye heads west at East Oakland (MP 9.8), where there are crossovers, a line to Alameda Island heads almost due west, the line crosses Fruitvale Avenue at grade, and the north leg of the wye trails in from the west at Fruitvale (MP 9.7). The line crosses 29th Avenue at grade, passes under the skew bridge at 23rd Avenue, I-880 comes alongside to the west, there is another skew bridge connecting Embarcadero East with 18th Avenue, before reaching signals at East Oakland Yard (MP 8.3), where the yard tracks are on the west side of the line and an industrial track trails in from the south, the former WP and the elevated BART line run nearby on the east side, the line turns west-northwest, there is a grade crossing at 5th Avenue (railroad location "5th Street", the former connection from the WP line), and I-880 crosses overhead.
There are crossovers at Strong (MP 7.6), a bridge over the channel between Lake Merritt and Oakland Inner Harbor, with Embarcadero East alongside to the west, a grade crossing at Oak Street after which the street alongside to the west is Embarcadero West, and a signal bridge at the junction with the passenger station tracks at South Jack London (MP 7.3) on the easternmost track only. The Oakland station is at Jack London Square (MP 7.0), in 2001; it was at 16th Street prior to the opening of the JLS station in the mid-1990s—the depot building at 16th Street was condemned following the October 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (the one that stopped the World Series and damaged the Bay Bridge). There is an island platform with an umbrella shed at Jack London Square, along with a platform on the east side, serving a total of two passenger tracks (one of which is the same as the easternmost main track at this point). The depot, parking lot, and bus stops are on the east side of the line, and there is a pedestrian bridge overhead. The platform on the east side provides direct pedestrian access to the street at the Webster Street grade crossing just north of the station.
The passenger tracks tie back in to the main line at North Jack London (MP 6.8) on the easternmost track only, and as the line passes down the middle of Embarcadero West (formerly First Street) through the tourist area at the water side here, with an Old Spaghetti Factory, a grade crossing at Franklin Street, and a Barnes & Noble on the west side, and the Jack London Inn on the old SP depot site, on the east side of the tracks south of the Broadway grade crossing, and grade crossings at Washington Street and Clay Street. There are crossovers and signal bridges at King Street (MP 6.4), adjacent to the ML King Jr. Way grade crossing, a grade crossing at Market Street, yard tracks and a grade crossing into the port at South Oakland (MP6.3), Middle Harbor Road bridges overhead, crossovers and signal bridges at Magnolia (MP 5.8), where the erstwhile WP line to the harbor side once crossed the former SP line and today's Railport Oakland Union Pacific Intermodal Yard tracks head off to the west-northwest, a signal bridge at Kirkham (MP 5.2), on the easternmost track only, where an industrial line heads north-northeast, and the replacement stretch of I-880 comes alongside to the east.
The West Oakland Yard (MP 4.6) and the locomotive depot, used by Amtrak, are on the east side of the tracks, and the line curves northeast to 10th Street (MP 4.2), where the line to the former bayfront station at the Oakland Mole cuts off to the northwest, and Desert Yard (named because it had no water supply in steam days), passing under the elevated BART tracks and bridging over a road as it does so. This is the border between the Coast Route and the Shasta Route, where the mileposts increase in both directions.