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A new train station could be added to the city’s vision of a new transit hub in west Berkeley and be a depot for bus, ferry, train and taxi services. 

Proponents of the project hope to purchase and restore the defunct Southern Pacific Station, built in 1913 at the intersection of University Avenue and the train tracks. Part of the plan is to add a cafe, murals and plaques detailing the history and cultural resources of the area. 

The 90-year-old station is privately-owned, but city officials have been talking with the owner about buying it. 

The station would be a centerpiece for west Berkeley’s revitalization, city planners say, and could link transit to the redeveloped Fourth Street shopping corridor and other parts of the city. 

Now vacant, the station was most recently home to two restaurants, China Station then Xanadu. 

With Amtrak passengers currently boarding trains directly from the tracks, the train station has not been used by rail passengers since the 1960s. 

A concern among station proponents is whether ridershipd would be great enough to support Amtrak staff at the station. 

Currently, 18 trains stop in Berkeley each day serving approximately 200 riders, significantly fewer than stations in Emeryville and Jack London Square. 

Increased ridership would be a goal of the train station project, city planners said. 

The proposal is part of a larger redevelopment plan in west Berkeley. In addition to increasing transit options, residents and city officials want to enhance the safety, appearance and cultural resources of the area. 

Considerable attention has been given to the preservation of the Ohlone Indian Shellmound, which are remnants of the native tribe located underneath the project site. 

“The Shellmound is just the beginning of the cultural history in the area,” said Betsy Morris of the West Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation. “The plan should represent west Berkeley as a historical place of first residence for African Americans, Japanese, Latinos. It should be a gateway into a neighborhood.” 

Berkeley resident Steve Geller proposed the idea of including a museum near the station site to attract and teach children about history. 

As it stands now, the city’s Redevelopment Agency has about $1.5 million in grants and bonds slated for the area bounded by Fourth Street, University Avenue and the railroad tracks. The funding must be used by September 2003. 

“The priority should be the train station, a place where people feel safe and comfortable with a cafe,” said Berkeley resident Eric McCaughrin. “People aren’t going to want to sit underneath an overpass on a bench. This plan needs to focus on the idea that we will purchase the train station. I would urge people to rethink this whole project and focus on that goal.”  

In a meeting with three city commissions Thursday night, officials continued discussions on how the redevelopment plan could be implemented, and if and when the train station would be added to the area plan.