It’s tempting to think of train stations as inherently connective. Even the most banal instances buzz with movement, activity, commerce, mingling, collision, and divergence along the intervals of the arrival/departure timetable. And in the best instances, these connections feel inevitable - even generative. There was a long period of time just after the turn of the 20th century when the 16th St Station in Oakland was a vital gateway to the city, choreographing the movements of local and region travel, providing access to Northern California’s most productive port, enabling a diverse population boom, and accelerating the WWII era industrial surge.