With its structure nearly complete and testing of trains in its second month, the Warm Springs/South Fremont Bay Area Rapid Transit Station is expected to go into service this summer, according to BART spokeswoman Molly McArthur.

“The sooner, the better,” she said March 3 during a tour of the facility organized by Alameda County District 1 Supervisor Scott Haggerty. “I think we can all agree on that.”

Last October, the agency delayed opening of the station on Warm Springs Boulevard near South Grimmer Boulevard from later that year to sometime in 2016. Testing of several systems such as communications, train control and traction power were expected to begin that November. However, trains did not begin rolling into the station for testing until January.

The testing phase consists of thousands of specific component and systems tests, each of which must be successfully passed and documented prior to proceeding.

“It’s kind of like watching grass grow,” McArthur said jokingly.

The $890 million Warm Springs extension, which began in 2009, will add 5.4-miles of new tracks from the Fremont BART Station south to the new station. The line includes a 1.2-mile subway tunnel under Lake Elizabeth and Fremont Central Park.

The Warm Springs station will feature an at-grade island platform with an overhead concourse and connections to Valley Transit Authority and AC Transit buses, in addition to taxi and passenger drop off areas.

There will also be 2,000 parking spaces and access for pedestrians and bicyclists. Portions of the parking lot are expected to eventually give way for a parking structure, McArthur said. Also, there is already a waiting list for parking permits.

Construction of the Warm Springs/South Fremont station extension to San Jose, about 10 miles, began in summer 2012. Stations in Milpitas and Berryessa are expected to open in 2017.

At the entrance to the station, the grand rotunda features an art glass installation by Catherine Widgery called “Sky Cycles,” which depicts images from different times of day, different times of year and different points of view. The project continues with abstract images on glass inside on the west and east sides of the concourse. To the east are images of hills and to the west are images inspired by the water of San Francisco Bay. It is the largest art installation in the BART system, McArthur said.

Plans for the west side of the station include an access bridge and plaza for pedestrians and cyclists to connect to mixed-use developments in the city’s Innovation District. Cost is estimated at $25 million for the bridge. Funding is from Measure BB, a one-cent sales tax approved by Alameda County voters in 2014. Construction is expected to begin in early 2017 with completion by fall 2018.

In his first up close look of the station, Haggerty said he was impressed by its passenger friendly design, openness and accessibility.

“This is going to be a great economic boon for the region,” he said of the station connecting major labor centers together.

Haggerty added he would like to see BART connect to the Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail service, or ACE, in Livermore as part of a cohesive rail network.

Meetings on the BART extension from Alameda County into Santa Clara County and San Jose began in the late 1990s, Haggerty said. On the tour, he carried notes with him from an Aug. 2, 1999, meeting with then-San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales on the project.

To see firsthand how far things have come was satisfying, he said. “It’s quite gratifying.”

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Contact Julian J. Ramos at ramos@themilpitaspost.com or 408-262-2454 or follow him on twitter.com/julianjramosmp. Visit us on our social media sites at facebook.com/FremontBulletin and twitter.com/FremontBulletin.