Ashby is an underground BART station and the southernmost station in Berkeley and opened on January 29, 1973. The station was originally designed to be above ground until Berkeley Tax Payers decided to provide an extra subsidy to keep BART underground through Berkeley. This makes it one of the few underground stations with a 715 space Park & Ride Lot. The stop though is just beneath the surface with Adeline Street built directly above the station and is at a higher level than the station's parking lot. Windows above the sides of the Fremont/Millbrae-bound platform let light shine down and into the station from this parking lot although this street is at a level about a story above the main parking lot. The platform has a brown and yellow color scheme with yellow panels along the walls of the tracks interrupting the concrete and a brown floor with brown tiles. To leave the platform is a staircase, two escalators, and elevator up to the mezzanine and exit. This leads up to only emergency exit doors through the glass walls above the Fremont/Millbrae platform so all passengers must walk to fare gates over the Richmond-bound platform that are parallel to it. After passing through the faregates there is another bridge across the station platforms and over to the main parking lot accessed from MLK Jr. Way. Staircases and another elevator lead up to Adeline Street above the station.
The stop has recently (2010 to 2012) gotten a modernization with new illuminated platform and green Exit signs. The track walls are now white instead of orange and other 1970s subtleties have been removed. At street level is the Ed Roberts Campus of disability oragnizations. The BART staircase and elevator up to the east side of Adeline Street are within this building. In addition renovations added a large decorative black and glass sheltered bus stop along the west side of the street with red Ashby letters and bart logos at each end avoe the staircases down to the main parking lot (and train acess) below. Finally there is additional BART parking in an upper level parking lot behind the Ed Roberts Campus
Photo 1-9: 15 March, 2010, 10-22: 15 June, 2013; 23-54: 19 January, 2015
