Bay Area Rapid Transit

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is a public rapid-transit system that serves parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, including the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Daly City, Richmond, Fremont, Hayward, Walnut Creek, and Concord. It also serves San Francisco International Airport and, via AirBART buses, Oakland International Airport. The BART acronym is pronounced as a single word, not as individual letters.

BART today

2005 statistics
Average Speed	33 mph
Total System Miles	104 miles
Total Number of Vehicles	680
Initial system cost	$1.6 billion
Equivalent cost in 2004 $	$15 billion
Hourly passenger capacity	15'000
Maximum daily capacity	360'000
Average weekday ridership	310,717 (1.4% increase from 2004)
Annual gross fare income	$233.65 million
Annual expenses	$581.81 million
Annual profits	-$300 million
Rail cost/passenger mile	32.3 cents

System details

As of the June 22, 2003, opening date of the extension to San Francisco International Airport and Millbrae, the BART system comprises 104 miles (167 km) of track and 43 stations. BART uses a non-standard 5 feet, 6 inch (1.676 m) rail gauge (broad gauge). This gauge, while used in other countries, is nonstandard for the United States rail network, which is almost universally standard gauge, . This broad gauge was selected to provide greater stability (including on a planned Golden Gate Bridge route) and a smoother ride for its relatively lightweight aluminum and fiberglass cars, as well as for political and economic reasons.

Trains can achieve a maximum speed of 80 mph (129 km/h), and provide a systemwide average speed of 33 mph (53 km/h) between stations, with 20-second station dwell times. Trains operate at a minimum length of three cars (per California Public Utilities Commission guidelines) to a maximum length of 10 cars, spanning the entire 700-foot length of a platform. Trains in the BART system are also referred to as "consists"; both words are interchangeable.

Power is delivered to the trains over a third rail, whose position alternates with respect to the train depending on context. For example, in underground stations it is usually on the right, whereas in aerial stations, it is usually on the left. The voltage over the third rail is 1000V DC; as a result, there are numerous notices through the system to warn passengers of the danger of the third rail.

The BART system operates five lines, but most of the network consists of more than one line on the same track. Trains on each line typically run every 15 minutes on weekdays and 20 minutes during the evenings, weekends and holidays. As of 2006, BART service begins around 4:00 a.m. on weekdays, 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays and 8:00 a.m. on Sundays. Service ends every day at Midnight or later (station closings timed to last train at station).

Current lines

Unlike most other rapid transit and rail systems around the world, BART lines are not consistently referred to by shorthand designations. Although the lines have been colored consistently on BART system maps for more than a decade, they are never referred to officially by color names (e.g., "Red Line"), and only rarely referred to in this way by members of the public. Each line is generally identified on maps and schedules by the names of its termini (e.g., "Richmond - Daly City Line"). These names can be rather cumbersome, and in practice most trains are merely referred to by their destination (e.g., "Richmond train" or "Richmond-bound train"); BART announcements will sometimes add "San Francisco" to the destination of a westbound train (e.g., "a San Francisco/Daly City train") to make it clear that it will be passing through the city. This is also done for eastbound Dublin/Pleasanton-bound trains on the San Mateo line, to make it clear to airport travelers that these trains will carry them to downtown San Francisco.

Since September, 2005, BART's routes have been as follows:

█ Richmond - Daly City (colored red on maps)

█ Fremont - Daly City (colored green on maps)

█ Richmond - Fremont (colored orange on maps)

█ Pittsburg/Bay Point - Daly City (colored yellow on maps)

█ Dublin/Pleasanton - SFO/Millbrae (colored blue on maps)

Rolling stock

BART operates four types of cars:

Rohr Industries BART A and B cars 1968-1971
- A Cars
  - A cars have a fiberglass operator's cab with equipment to control the train and BART's two-way communication system. They are made to be leading or trailing cars only.
  - A cars can comfortably seat 72 passengers, and under crush load can hold 150 passengers.
  - Currently, BART operates 137 A Cars
- B Cars
  - B cars have no operator's cab, and are used in the middle of trains to carry passengers.
  - B cars have the same passenger capacity as A cars (72 comfortable/150 crush load)
  - Currently, BART operates 303 B cars
Alstom BART C cars 1987-1989
- C cars have the same fiberglass operator's cab and control and communications equipment as A cars, but unlike A cars, can act as a middle car as well. The dual purpose of the C cars allow train sizes to be changed without having to move a train to a switching yard.
- C cars can comfortably seat 64 passengers, and under crush load can fit 150 passengers.
- Currently, BART operates 150 C cars.
C2 Cars
- C2 Cars are essentially the same as C cars, but have a newer, third-generation interior. They feature a blue/grey motif as compared to the older blue or brown colors. C2 cars feature flip-up seats near side exit/entry doors to accommodate passengers in wheelchairs. Red lights on posts near the door warn Deaf and Hard of Hearing passengers when doors are about to close.
- C2 cars can comfortably seat 68 passengers, and under crush load can carry 150 passengers.
- Currently, BART operates 82 C2 cars.

BART cars have upholstered seats and many cars have carpeting, although this is being removed for maintenance reasons and due to the prevalence of bicycles on trains. One of the design goals of BART was that all passengers would have a seat. Therefore, many of the older cars have poor provisions for standees, such as few vertical grab bars. Newer cars have more grab bars, fewer seats facing each other, and flip up seats to accommodate wheelchairs and bicycles. However, unlike many urban transit systems, hand straps are not to be found on BART.

The two door cars often cause extended wait times at stations as passengers must negotiate groups of standees in order to exit or enter the train. To speed up service, BART is planning to introduce new three door cars.

Starting in 1995 and continuing until 2002, the 439 original Rohr cars were "rehabed" or overhauled by ADtranz and later by Bombardier who bought ADtranz.

Governance

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District is a special governmental agency created by the State of California and consisting of Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and San Francisco County. It is governed by an elected Board of Directors, and each of the nine directors represents a specific geographic area within the BART district. BART has its own police force.

While the district includes all of the cities and communities in its jurisdiction, some of these cities do not have stations on the BART system. This has caused tensions in places like Livermore which pay BART taxes but receive no BART service. In addition, in areas like Fremont, the majority of commuters do not commute in the direction that BART would take them (many Fremonters commute to San Jose, where there is currently no BART service). This particular instance of the problem should be alleviated with the BART-to-San Jose extension project.

However, some cities and towns are very near to cities with BART stations, so residents may commute via a bus or car, then BART. Emeryville, for instance, has no BART service, but has a free shuttle service (the Emery-Go-Round) that takes passengers to nearby MacArthur BART station.

Cost and budget

BART's initial cost was $1.6 billion, which includes the basic system and the Transbay Tube. Factoring in inflation, this would be valued at $15 billion in 2004.

In 2005, BART required nearly $300 million in subsidies after fares. About 37% of the costs went to maintenance, 29% to actual transportation operations, 24% to general administration, 8% to police services, and 4% to construction and engineering.BART 2005 Annual Report (text) and (PDF)

In 2005, 53% of the budget came from fares, 32% came from taxes, and 15% came from "other sources", such as advertising, leasing station space to vendors, and parking fees. However, its farebox recovery rate is considered very high for a US public transport operator, operating over such distances with high frequency. It is often favorably compared to the rates of the nearby Caltrain diesel commuter rail operation, and presented as an argument that BART ought to be extended, eventually all around the bay.

Fares

Fares on BART are comparable to that of commuter rail systems, and are higher than that of most metros, especially for long trips. The fare is based on a formula that takes into account the length and speed of the trip. A surcharge is added for trips traveling through the Transbay Tube, to San Francisco International Airport, or through San Mateo County (which is not a BART member). Historically and up to this day, passengers have used non-refillable paper tickets, on which fares are stored via a magnetic strip, to enter and exit the system. The exit faregate prints the remaining balance on the ticket each time the passenger exits the station. Even though a given card is not refillable, the remaining balance on any ticket can be applied towards the purchase of a new one. A trial program using thin refillable plastic farecards valid for many rides, called the TransLink smart card, is currently in progress, with systemwide rollout expected to be completed by mid-2007http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/othercities/sanjose/stories/2006/01/09/story6.html. Currently, only a limited number of people are able to use the TransLink cards. The cards will become widely available in the fall of 2006, when the system will be fully launched on AC Transit and Golden Gate Transit. The cards are not expected to be implemented on BART until sometime in 2007TransLink FAQ with a rough timeline of events.

The minimum fare is $1.40An example trip between two adjacent stations, less than 6 miles apart, showing the minimum fare charged, charged for trips under six miles, and the maximum fare is $7.65 for the 51 mile journey between Pittsburg/Bay Point and San Francisco International Airport (consisting of the regular fare and all possible surcharges)Trip planner result between Pittsburg/BP and SFO. Because of the amount of the base fare, when traveling between BART stations in San Francisco, it is slightly cheaper to take BART within San Francisco than to use the city's own light rail system, the MUNI Metro, which is also generally slower covering the same distance and costs $1.50 (though MUNI permits around two full hours of riding, including transfers to other MUNI vehicles, whereas BART charges $1.40 for a single journey). There are other quirks in the fare system due to a subsidy being provided to riders traveling between some outlying stations. In some instances, such as a trip from Dublin/Pleasanton to Fremont, it is less expensive to exit the station at the transfer point (in this case, Bay Fair) and re-enter the station instead of staying on the platform (two $1.40 base fares being deducted instead of a $3.90 fare from end to end). Passengers without enough fare to complete their journey must use the "add fare" machines to pay the remaining fare difference in order to exit the station.

Unlike most transit systems in the United States, but like the MRT in Singapore, BART does not have an unlimited ride pass available and riders must pay for each ride they take. The only discount provided to the general public is a 6.25% discount when "high value tickets" are purchased with a fare value of $48 or $64. A 62.5% discount is provided to seniors, the disabled, and children 5 to 12, while middle and high school students 13 to 18 are provided with a 50% discount. To receive these discounts, special tickets must be purchased at selected vendors and not at ticket machines.

Fares are enforced via the station agent, who monitors activity at the fare gates adjacent to the window and at other fare gates through closed circuit television. All stations are staffed with at least one agent at all times. Despite this, fare fraud occasionally occurs, usually consisting of people jumping the fare gates.

There is little fare coordination between BART and surrounding agencies. Some agencies accept the BART Plus pass, which at a fee of between $42 and $46 per month, permits pass holders to use BART and connecting buses. Most notably, AC Transit dropped out of the program due to the small amount of reimbursement they received from BART. Aside from that, there is only a token discount (25 to 50 cents) provided to passengers transferring to and from trains. One program of fare coordination is that adult monthly pass holders of the San Francisco Municipal Railway can ride BART trains within the City of San Francisco for free (with no credit applied to trips outside the City). The City pays BART 87 cents for each trip taken under this arrangement.

Automation

BART was the first US system of any size to have substantial automated operations. The trains are computer-controlled via BART's Operations Control Center (OCC) at the Lake Merritt station and headquarters, and generally arrive with regular punctuality. Train operators are present to make announcements, close doors, and operate the train in case of unforeseen difficulties.

A fairly common problem with the automation is the appearance of "ghost trains," trains that show on the computer system as being in a specific place, but don't physically exist. Under such circumstances, trains must be operated manually and are restricted to a speed of 25 mph (~40 km/h). Such system artifacts are usually cleared quickly enough to avoid significant delay, but occasionally some can cause an extended backup of manually operated trains in the system.

As a first generation system, BART's automation was plagued with numerous operational problems during its first years of service. Shortly before revenue service began an on-board electronics failure caused one empty 2-car test train, dubbed the "Fremont Flyer" to run off the end of the platform at its namesake station into a parking lot (there were no injuries). When revenue service began, “ghost trains” were common and real trains could at times disappear from the system, usually because of dew on the tracks. In addition, the fare card system was easily hackable with equipment commonly found in universities.

During this shakedown period there were several episodes where trains had to be manually run and signaled via station agents communicating by phone. This caused a great outcry in the press and led to a flurry of litigation among some of the original controls contractors, and public battles between the state government (advised by University of California professor Dr. Bill Wattenburg), federal government, and the district, but in time these problems were resolved and BART became a reliable service. BART does not operate two-car trains for this reason, even though it is operationally feasible.

Connecting rail and bus transit services

BART has direct connections to two regional rail services; Caltrain (which provides service between San Francisco, San José, and Gilroy) at the Millbrae Station, and Amtrak's Capitol Corridor trains (which runs from Sacramento to San José) at the Richmond and Oakland Coliseum/Airport stations. A third Capitol Corridor connection at the Union City station is planned as part of a larger Dumbarton Rail Corridor Project to connect Union City, Fremont, and Newark to various Peninsula destinations via the Dumbarton rail bridge (BART is also the managing agency for the Capital Corridor. [http://www.bart.gov/news/press/news20050228.asp)

In addition, BART connects to San Francisco's local light rail system, the Muni Metro. The upper track level of BART's Market Street subway, originally designed for the lines to San Mateo and Marin Counties, was turned over to Muni and both share the Embarcadero, Montgomery Street, Powell and Civic Center stations. In addition, some Muni Metro lines connect with (or pass by) the BART system at the Balboa Park and Glen Park stations.

A number of bus services connect to BART, which, while managed by separate agencies, are integral to the successful functioning of the system. The primary providers include the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni), Alameda-Contra Costa Transit (AC Transit), San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans), Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection), and the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (Golden Gate Transit). (Until the late 1990s, BART ran its own "BART Express" connector buses, which ran to eastern Alameda County and far eastern and western areas of Contra Costa County; these routes were later devolved to subregional transit agencies such as Tri-Delta Transit and the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (WHEELS) or, in the case of Dublin/Pleasanton service, replaced by a full BART extension.)

BART is connected to Oakland International Airport via AirBART shuttle buses which brings travelers to and from the Coliseum/Oakland Airport BART station. These buses are operated by BART, and accept exact-change BART fare cards as fare. BART is also connected to the San Francisco International Airport, though in this case the train actually enters the airport directly and no shuttle is necessary.

Smaller services connect as well, including the Emery Go Round in Emeryville and WestCat in northwestern Contra Costa County, WHEELS (Livermore), Benicia Transit (Benicia), Union City Transit (Union City), Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA, in Silicon Valley), and TriDelta Transit (Eastern Contra Costa County).

The bus service connecting the University of California, Berkeley to the Berkeley BART station was once called Humphrey Go-BART, a spoonerism of the famous actor and director Humphrey Bogart.

History of BART

Origins and planning

A rapid transit system in the San Francisco Bay Area was first proposed in 1946 by Bay Area business leaders concerned with increased post-war migration and congestion in the region. An Army-Navy task force concluded that another trans-bay crossing would soon be needed to relieve congestion on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The idea of an underwater electric rail tube, first proposed in the early 1900s by Francis "Borax" Smith of the Key System, was deemed the best solution in conjunction with a multiple-county rapid transit rail system.

In fact, much of BART's current territory was earlier covered by the Key System, an electrified streetcar and suburban train network that had its origins in the 1900s and ran across the lower deck of the Bay Bridge when it first opened; however, this system was removed in the 1950s due to the combined pressures of declining ridership, the automotive industry and highway planners.

However, it was not until the 1950s that the actual planning for a rapid transit system would begin. In 1951, California's legislature created the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Commission to study the Bay Area's long term transportation needs. The commission's 1957 final recommended that the cheapest solution to reduce traffic tie-ups was to form a rapid transit district, that would build and operate a high-speed rapid rail system linking the cities with the suburbs. Nine counties in the region were involved in planning.Official BART Chronology (PDF)

Acting on the recommendations, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District was formed by the state legislature in 1957, comprising the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo. Santa Clara County was left out of the initial stage of building, though both the proposed Palo Alto and Fremont lines could have provided service, and opted to build the Santa Clara County Expressway System instead.

By 1961, a final plan for the new system was sent to the supervisors of the five counties within the BART district for approval. The system was supposed to consist of lines to Concord, Richmond, Fremont, Arastradero Road in Palo Alto, and Novato. Each county approved the system except for San Mateo County. Instead, the San Mateo County supervisors voted to opt out of the district, citing the high costs and the already existing adequate service provided by Southern Pacific commuter trains. San Mateo county was also supposedly concerned about shoppers leaving the county's stores for those in San Francisco, and was of the opinion that a San Mateo line would mostly carry Santa Clara County commuters. A year later, Marin County was also forced to withdraw because the engineering feasibility of carrying trains across the Golden Gate Bridge was under dispute. Plus, Marin County's tax base could not adequately pay for its share of BART's projected cost, which had grown considerably after the departure of San Mateo County. ^* The plans for BART where approved by the voters of each participating county in 1962.

Construction of the initial system

BART construction officially began on June 19, 1964. President Lyndon Johnson presided over the ground-breaking ceremonies at a 4.4 mile (7.1 km) test track between Concord and Walnut Creek in Contra Costa County.

Enormous construction tasks were at hand, including underground rail sections below downtown Oakland, Market Street in San Francisco, and in Berkeley; a 3.5 mile (5.6 km) tunnel through the Berkeley Hills; and the 3.6 mile (5.8 km) Transbay Tube between Oakland and San Francisco beneath the San Francisco Bay. The tube is the world's longest and deepest immersed tunnel and was constructed in 57 sections. It was completed in August 1969 at a cost of $180 million.

Operation

BART began regular passenger service on September 11, 1972. President Richard Nixon rode the system on September 27, 1972. The Transbay Tube opened nearly two years later on September 16, 1974, completing the original system, which had four branches extending to Daly City, Concord, Richmond, and Fremont stations.

In January 1979, an electrical fire broke out on a train traveling in the Transbay Tube, killing one firefighter. Service was halted for over two months. The trains were more flammable than permitted by current code. Since then, BART holds regular fire drills and has used fire-resistant seating in its trains.

In the aftermath of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, most of the major San Francisco freeways were too damaged for car travel, but the BART system was specially designed to withstand earthquakes. Six hours after the quake, the trains were operational, and BART became the sole form of transportation for much of the Bay Area, including the shipment of relief supplies to the more damaged areas of San Francisco and Oakland. Nonetheless, the trains are routinely halted for several hours following minor earthquakes while maintenance crews inspect tracks, over- and undercrossings and tunnels for damage before service is restored.

Extensions to the original system were made possible by a regional agreement under which San Mateo County contributed $200M to East Bay extensions as a way of buying into the BART system, without joining the BART district. The North-of-Concord extension opened in two phases, with service to North Concord/Martinez beginning on December 16, 1995 and service to Pittsburg/Bay Point beginning just under a year later, on December 7, 1996. The first service south of Daly City Station began on February 24, 1996, to Colma Station. Over a year later, the Dublin/Pleasanton extension was finally completed, and service to Castro Valley and Dublin/Pleasanton began on May 10, 1997.U.S. Urban Rail Transit Lines Opened From 1980 (PDF)

BART has a unionized work force that went on strike for six days in 1997, causing great inconvenience to the public. In its 2001 negotiations, BART unions won 24 percent wage increases over four years, and continuing generous benefits for employees and retirees. Another threatened strike on July 6, 2005 was averted by a last-minute agreement between management and the unions.

The San Francisco International Airport extension

A $1.5 billion extension of BART southward to San Francisco International Airport's (SFO) Garage G, next to the International Terminal, was completed in June 2003. Ground was broken in November 1997, and the extension added four new stations in South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae (with a cross-platform connection to Caltrain, the first of its kind west of the Mississippi River), and SFO. The project encompasses 8.7 miles (14 km) of new rail track, of which 6.1 miles (9.8 km) is subway, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) is aerial, and 1.4 miles (2.2 km) is at-grade. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/04/18/MN89853.DTL

However, problems have plagued this extension since it opened. To date, it has drawn far fewer riders than anticipated, forcing BART to quit claiming that it remained on track on its target of 50,000 riders. Many commuters find it faster to take Caltrain from Millbrae to downtown San Francisco instead because that system has a more direct route, despite the need to transfer to (and pay an extra fare on) MUNI's N-Judah line to reach downtown. Secondly, since San Mateo County is not part of the BART district and does not pay taxes directly to the district, the San Mateo County Transit District is responsible for the extension's operating costs. The extension had been projected to be financially self-sufficient, but this expectation has turned out to be unrealistic. Thus, service along the extension has been changed four times. [http://sfcityscape.com/transit/BART.html Service has been reduced from eight trains per hour to four trains per hour on the extension. Critics contend that the SFO Airport Extension was merely a cover for the goal of BART around the bay, which will most likely result in the elimination of Caltrain.

Future expansion and extension

Warm Springs extension

A 5.4-mile extension of BART southward past Fremont to the Warm Springs District in southern Fremont, with an optional station at Irvington between the Fremont and Warm Springs stations, is in the planning and engineering stage by BART planning staff. A further, controversial extension towards San Jose is also proposed by the transit district south of BART, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, but preliminary engineering remains to be completed and funding to be acquired. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has allocated funds for constructing BART from a 2000 sales tax, but does not have money to pay for all of the other projects promised. In addition, the project received a "not recommended" rating from the Federal Transit Administration, thus making it highly unlikely that it will receive federal funds. [http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/bart

Oakland Airport Connector

Procurement is currently underway for a people mover that would directly connect the Coliseum station to the terminal buildings at Oakland International Airport. This connection would physically resemble the AirTrain connection to New York City's JFK Airport, in that passengers would leave standard subway cars at a nearby station and enter a specialized people mover to reach the airport itself. However, unlike the AirTrain, the Oakland Airport Connector will be operated by BART, and integrated into the BART fare system, with standard BART ticket gates located at the entrance to the station at the Airport end of the people mover. Construction of this extension is expected to start in 2007, with revenue service expected by 2011. ^*

eBART

eBART calls for diesel multiple unit train service to be implemented from the existing Pittsburg/Bay Point station (with cross-platform transfers) east along the Highway 4 corridor to the east Contra Costa town of Byron, with the future possibility of service to Tracy, in the San Joaquin Valley. New stations would be located in Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood, and Byron. Another option would be that of having a Caltrain-like service on the existing Union Pacific right-of-way from North Concord to Brentwood and beyond to Tracy and Stockton. [http://www.bart.gov/docs/planning/ebart_summary.pdf

I-580/Tri-Valley Corridor

The extension of either conventional BART or diesel multiple unit BART service from Dublin/Pleasanton station east to Livermore and over the Altamont Pass into Tracy and the Central Valley along I-580, or possibly north through Dublin, San Ramon, Danville, and Alamo to the existing Walnut Creek station via the I-680 corridor.

Currently, a petition to extend BART to Livermore is being circulated by Linda Jeffery Sailors, the former mayor of Dublin, California.

The extension of BART rail to Tracy is considered unlikely, as San Joaquin County, where Tracy is located, is not part of the nine Bay Area counties, and does not pay into the regional BART tax. Additionally, an extension of third-rail BART over such a distance would be prohibitively expensive.

I-80/West Contra Costa Corridor

A corridor study of extending the service north from the Richmond BART & Amtrak Station. ^* Options include:

Commuter rail service utilizing light-weight diesel multiple units (DMU) to operate on existing (or new) rail trackage. In order to operate on existing tracks with freight service, heavier-weight DMU vehicles adhering to Federal Railroad Administration regulations would need to be used. Known as wBART; similar to eBART.
Create a commuter rail service running from the BART terminus along the Amtrak line to Hercules and possibly Fairfield in Solano County, similar to the Caltrain or ACE train.
Extend BART to a North Richmond station near the Richmond Trainyard at 13th Street/Rumrill Avenue and Market Street, then continue along the existing SP rail line and Richmond Parkway expressway to Interstate 80 to a Hilltop station then along I-80 to Highway 4 in Hercules, near Hercules Transit Center. More service would continue along I-80 through Vallejo until Peabody Road in Fairfield.

Infill stations

BART has either planned--or studied the idea of--infill stations for three locations within the system:

30th Street Mission: Planned for San Francisco between 24th Street Mission and Glen Park stations, the station was estimated to cost approximately $500 million to construct. ^*" target="_blank" >[http://www.bart.gov/docs/planning/30th.d.pdf

Jack London Square: This infill station in Oakland was studied and rejected as being incompatible with existing track geometry. Also studied were a one-station stub line to Jack London Square at the foot of Broadway and the utilization of other transit modes. [http://www.bart.gov/docs/planning/JLSFeasibility2.pdf

West Dublin/Pleasanton: Planned for the median of I-580 just west of I-680, between Castro Valley and Dublin/Pleasanton stations, this station is expected to cost $71.5 million, with funding coming from a unique public-private partnership and the proceeds of planned transit-oriented development (TOD) on adjacent BART-owned property. Originally planned as a third station on the Dublin-Pleasanton extension (DPX), which opened in May 1997, the station's foundation, along with some communication and train control facilities, already exist on-site; construction is expected to commence in January 2007. ^*

BART compared with other rail transit systems

Like many late-20th century transit systems, BART's primary goal was to connect outlying suburbs with job centers in Oakland and San Francisco by paralleling established commute routes on the region's freeway system. It was not intended to provide a dense level of service such as the New York City Subway or the London Underground. (Muni does provide a local rail service in San Francisco, though, and is comparable to service in other urban areas.) BART could be referred to as a "commuter subway" since it functions like a commuter rail system as it runs on a few longer-distance lines out to the far reaches of suburbia (with widely spaced stations), while also operating like a typical subway system in San Francisco and downtown Oakland.

Most suburban stations are park and rides spaced at distances of typically at least 2 miles (3 km) apart. Suburban stations generally offer free parking and therefore are often filled to capacity during the peak hours. To raise revenue, BART has begun charging for parking at selected stations.

Urban stations are roughly one-half mile (800 m) apart and have combined 2.5 to 5 minute service intervals at peak times. As such, some sources consider BART to be more of a regional commuter service. However, BART does possess all of the features of a true metro system, including electrified third rail propulsion, exclusive (grade-separated) right-of-way, frequent headway service and pre-paid fare card access. Thus many consider it more of a hybrid metro-commuter system, functioning more as a metro in the central business districts of San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley, and as commuter rail in outlying areas.

Awards

In 2004, BART was named the #1 Transit System in America by the American Public Transportation Association. It beat out such systems as New York City's MTA, the 2001 winner, and Denver's Regional Transportation District, the 2003 winner.

Recent News

A recent study shows that along with some Bay Area freeways, some of BART's overhead structures would collapse in the event of a major earthquake, which is predicted to happen in the Bay Area within the next 30 years.

On March 28-29, 2006, BART experienced a computer glitch in its system during rush hour, which left about 35,000 commuters stranded inside trains or stations while the problem was being resolved. The following month, BART's on-time performance hit a 16-month high. However, overall in the last four months, starting with a small fire that caused chaos on March 9, BART has experienced seven major delays (including the one above) that seem to point to a BART meltdown. Faulty equipment was the cause of three of the delays, including the latest on July 12. In two of the delays, the fire of March 9 and the debris incident on June 20, passengers were so scared and frustrated (respectively) that they self-evacuated causing futher delays and hassles for BART.

By November 2005, BART had become the first transit system in the nation to offer wireless communication to passengers of all wireless carriers on its trains underground. Five of the Bay Area's six wireless companies have signed up to use the system, and the sixth was in negotiations as of late 2005. Of the system-wide underground coverage planned, service exists under the four San Francisco Market Street stations as of summer 2006. ^*

Modernization

Since the mid 1990s, BART has been trying to modernize its sometimes decaying 30-year+ system. Most notable is that all of the cars were refurbished from vintage brown seats to new light blue ones which can be removed easily for washing or replacement. Presently fire alarms, water-sprinkling systems, and yellow tactile platform edge, along rough black marked located each doorway subway car landings, cemented-mat rubber tiles has been installed in 1990s.

References

External links

BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit District
Alstom Type C Cars
Rohr Type A and B Cars
BART widget. Self-contained trip planner for Mac OS X Dashboard.
BARTsmart BART Widget, featuring real-time BART schedules and news
Official BART QuickPlanner for Palm and Pocket PC (map and schedules)
Official BART QuickPlanner for iPod (map and schedules)
iSubwayMaps.com iPod, alternative predating official BART offering (map only)
BART trains and stations on Google Earth (download)
More info on BART
BART history timeline. From bart.gov.

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