Here's what to know about getting to Berkeley for ESPN's College GameDay
BART will be running limited morning service on Saturday to get people to the Downtown Berkeley station by 5 a.m.
BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- ESPN's College GameDay kicks off Saturday morning at Cal, and ABC7 News has everything you need to know about getting there.
Since the popular pregame show is Berkeley-bound for the Cal-Miami game, there's sure to be plenty of activity around campus. Of course, Memorial Glade and Memorial Stadium are going to be the sites of all the action.
With a focus on BART as the main way to get there, it is worth noting BART parking is free on Saturdays.
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The agency is launching lines much earlier, with limited morning service on Saturday to get people to the Downtown Berkeley station by 5 a.m.
BART said only 12 of its 50 stations will be up and running for this special event.
Depending on where you start, your train could depart as early as 4:08 a.m. BART will also have extra event trains to handle the crowds.
"We're really stepping up our game through the entire day. This whole day's going to be a lot of fun," BART Spokesperson Chris Filippi said. "We're going to be running longer than usual trains, 8-car trains on our Red Line and our Orange Line, which both serve Downtown Berkeley. So we're adding capacity in anticipation of larger crowds getting to and leaving the game once it's done."
Once you get to the Downtown Berkeley station, head east from BART and follow directions for Memorial Glade. There you'll notice four entrances: two along University Drive and two on Glade Way will get you to the College Gameday action.
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"GameDay is such a unique experience," Filippi said. "It's never been to Cal before, so we really don't know what we're gonna be seeing in terms of the crowds. What we do know is there is so much enthusiasm for this! If you look at the Cal fanbase, they're fired up for this. It's a special opportunity for them. And we want to do everything we can to provide access, to allow as many people as we can possible to get there, in the most convenient manner that we can."
BART is also staging Special Event trains for when the game is finished.
For those planning to drive, there are four on-campus parking garages, free of charge and available to fans on gameday. However, it's important to note that vehicles must be moved by 11 a.m., or drivers could be ticketed or towed.
