Oakland Wye

Those trains coming from the elevated West Oakland station enter tunnel portals near Washington and 5th Streets before turning towards Broadway.

There is some evidence that then-Oakland mayor John C. Houlihan objected to the original 8th Street location because it threatened a store owned by a friend of his.

[12] On December 17, 1992, a southbound train (operating on northbound track C1 due to maintenance) split a switch at the north end of the wye, injuring 14 passengers.

[14] In February 2009, two northbound trains from West Oakland and Lake Merritt (one operating in manual mode) collided and partially derailed in the Wye while merging to approach 12th Street/Oakland City Center.

[15][16][17] Bypasses that would connect MacArthur and Oakland Coliseum with the Transbay Tube directly have been proposed to create express service, reduce the systemwide effects of delays in the Wye, and potentially provide an infill station at Jack London Square.

A junction in the Oakland Wye viewed from the lower platform at 12th Street station
Colorized schematic of the Oakland Wye. A train approaching from any of its three branches may exit via either of the remaining two, without interfering with trains on any other route. An additional third track (MX/CX) provides additional capacity.
Map of the project, which added a third track (in blue) to provide additional capacity between West Oakland (and points west) and 12th Street (and points north/east).