   #copyright

Bay Area Rapid Transit

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Railway transport

   CAPTION: Bay Area Rapid Transit

       Locale      San Francisco Bay Area
    Transit type   Rapid transit
   Began operation September 11, 1972
    System length  104 mi (167 km)
    No. of lines   5
   No. of stations 43
   Daily ridership 310,717 (avg. weekday exits, FY2005)
     Track gauge   5 ft 6 in (1676 mm)
      Operator     San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
   A westbound BART train in downtown San Francisco (wide-angle photo).
   Enlarge
   A westbound BART train in downtown San Francisco (wide-angle photo).

   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

System details

   BART comprises 104 miles (167 km) of track and 43 stations. The system
   uses a 5 ft 6 in (1676 mm) broad rail gauge, as opposed to the
   4 ft 8.5 in (1435 mm) standard gauge predominantly found in the U.S.
   The broad gauge was selected to provide greater stability (due in part
   to a planned Golden Gate Bridge route), a smoother ride for lightweight
   aluminum and fibreglass cars, and for political and economic reasons.
   A photo of the third rails used on the BART system. Notice how the rail
   changes location relative to the train upon entering the station and
   the crossover walkway crossing the trackway. Notice the walkway on the
   left side of the trackway in the distance, which is the emergency
   walkway for the aerial trackway leading into the Daly City station –
   again, the third rail positioned opposite of this walkway.
   Enlarge
   A photo of the third rails used on the BART system. Notice how the rail
   changes location relative to the train upon entering the station and
   the crossover walkway crossing the trackway. Notice the walkway on the
   left side of the trackway in the distance, which is the emergency
   walkway for the aerial trackway leading into the Daly City station –
   again, the third rail positioned opposite of this walkway.

   Some critics point out that the broad gauge has very little technical
   merit, but does act as a very effective barrier to use for any other
   rail system, freight or passenger. The French, German, and Japanese
   high-speed rail networks, for instance, are all standard gauge, and
   operate at higher speeds. Most, if not all, light rail systems operate
   with lightweight cars on standard gauge track. Broad gauge makes
   engineering more difficult, as track building equipment must be
   custom-built. In addition, the non-standard gauge makes new fleet
   procurement extremely expensive because the trains must be custom-built
   instead of using common designs for standard gauge.

   Trains can achieve a centrally-controlled maximum speed of 80 mph
   (129 km/h) and provide a systemwide average speed of 33 mph (53 km/h)
   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 ft (213.3 m)
   length of a platform.

   Power is delivered to the trains over a third rail, whose position
   alternates with respect to the train depending on context. Inside
   stations, the third rail is always on the side furthest away from the
   passenger platforms. This design feature eliminates the danger of a
   passenger either falling directly on the third rail, or stepping onto
   it to climb back to the platform should they fall off. On ground-level
   trackways, the third rail also is alternated from one side of the track
   to the other, providing breaks in the third rail to allow for emergency
   evacuations across trackways.

   Underground tunnels, aerial structures and the transbay tube also have
   evacuation walkways and passageways to allow for train evacuation
   without exposing passengers to easy, inadvertent contact with the third
   rail, which is located as far away from these walkways as possible. The
   voltage over the third rail is 1000 V DC (1 kV DC); as a result, there
   are numerous notices through the system to warn passengers of its
   danger. BART also posts notices in each train car warning of the third
   rail and of the four paddle-like rail contact shoes that protrude from
   the underside of each car by the rail wheel trucks.

   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; however, since a given station might be served
   by as many as four lines, it could have service as frequently as every
   3-4 minutes. 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 around midnight with station closings timed to the last
   train at station.

Current lines

   BART Routes:  Richmond – Daly City/Colma  Fremont – Daly City  Richmond
   – Fremont  Pittsburg/Bay Point – Daly City  Dublin/Pleasanton –
   SFO/Millbrae
   Enlarge
   BART Routes:

   Richmond – Daly City/Colma

   Fremont – Daly City

   Richmond – Fremont

   Pittsburg/Bay Point – Daly City

   Dublin/Pleasanton – SFO/Millbrae

   Unlike most other rapid transit and rail systems around the world, BART
   lines are consistently not referred to by shorthand designations by the
   system's users and officials. Although the lines have been colored
   consistently on BART system maps for more than a decade, they are never
   referred to officially by colour names (for example, "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 (for example, "Richmond - Daly City Line"). Since some routes
   have changed over the years, referring to routes by termini rather
   makes the change less "painful" for riders.

   Trains are merely referred to by their destination or destinations by
   train operators and BART personnel (for example, "Richmond train" or
   "Richmond-bound train"). Electronic destination signs add "San
   Francisco" to the destination of any westbound transbay train or
   eastbound train west of San Francisco to make it clear that it will be
   passing through the City, and "SFO Airport" (or just "SFO") is added to
   any train going to the airport. This can cause quite cumbersome
   destination descriptions, such as "San Francisco/Daly City train", "San
   Francisco/SFO Airport/Millbrae train", and "San Francisco/Pittsburg/Bay
   Point train." Perhaps the worst such description is for trains leaving
   Millbrae, which say "San Francisco/SFO Airport/Dublin/Pleasanton."

Rolling stock

   Sign about the rehabilitation project in every BART train.
   Enlarge
   Sign about the rehabilitation project in every BART train.

   BART operates four types of cars, built in three separate orders. The A
   and B cars were built from 1968 to 1971 by Rohr Industries. The A cars,
   made to be leading or trailing cars only, have a fibreglass operator's
   cab with equipment to control the train and BART's two-way
   communication system. They can comfortably seat 72 passengers, and
   under crush load can hold 150 passengers. The B cars have no operator's
   cab and are used in the middle of trains to carry passengers only;
   these cars have the same passenger capacity as the A cars. Currently,
   BART operates 137 A Cars and 303 B cars. The C cars were built from
   1987 until 1989 by Alstom. The C cars have the same fibreglass
   operator's cab and control and communications equipment as the A cars,
   but unlike A cars, can act as middle cars as well. The dual purpose of
   the C cars allow train sizes to be changed quickly without having to
   move the train to a switching yard. The C cars can comfortably seat 64
   passengers and under crush load can fit 150 passengers. The last order,
   from Morrison-Knudson Corporation, was for C2 cars. C2 cars are
   essentially the same as C cars, but have a newer, third-generation
   interior featuring a blue/gray motif, in contrast to the older blue and
   brown colors. C2 cars feature flip-up seats near side exit/entry doors
   to accommodate passengers in wheelchairs and have red lights on posts
   near the door to warn deaf and hearing-impaired 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 150
   C1 cars and 80 C2 cars. From 1995 through 2002, the 439 original Rohr
   cars were rehabilitated/overhauled by ADtranz and Bombardier, which had
   acquired ADtranz by the end of the project. Refurbishment of the fleet
   was financially attractive compared to purchasing new custom trains to
   fit BART's non-standard track gauge and extended its useful life for
   about 20 years. The older vintage brown seats were converted to
   light-blue ones, which can be removed easily for washing or
   replacement.
   A wooden BRIO BART C Car.
   Enlarge
   A wooden BRIO BART C Car.

   All of the 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 original 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, in contrast, 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 cars, which all have just two doors on each side, 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
   has considered introducing new, three-door cars. (Bart cars must have
   doors on both sides as some stations have central platforms while
   others have platforms on each side of central two-way tracks.)

Governance

   The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District is a special
   governmental agency created by the State of California consisting of
   Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and San Francisco County. It is
   governed by an elected Board of Directors with each of the nine
   directors representing 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
   would be alleviated with the completion BART-to-San Jose extension
   project, if it ever went forward.

   However, some cities and towns are near enough to cities with BART
   stations that residents commute via a bus or car to the nearest BART
   station. Emeryville, for instance, has no BART service, but has a free
   shuttle service, the Emery-Go-Round, that takes passengers to the
   nearby MacArthur station. For those wishing to drive their cars to the
   stations instead, many BART stations offer many kinds of parking
   options.

Cost and budget

   BART's initial cost was $1.6 billion, which included both the initial
   system and the Transbay Tube. Adjusted for inflation, this cost 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.

   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. BART's farebox recovery ratio of
   0.53 is considered very high for a US public transit agency operating
   over such long distances with high frequency. It is often favorably
   compared to the ratio of the nearby Caltrain diesel commuter rail
   operation and is presented as an argument for an extension of BART all
   around the bay.

Fares

   Ticket vending machines at the Powell Street Station
   Enlarge
   Ticket vending machines at the Powell Street Station
   Ticket gates with the signature red triangular doors retracted
   Enlarge
   Ticket gates with the signature red triangular doors retracted

   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 both 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-2007. The program was launched to the general public
   in fall 2006 with rollout on AC Transit, Dumbarton Express, and Golden
   Gate Transit lines. The cards are not expected to be fully implemented
   on BART until sometime in 2007.

   The minimum fare is $1.40, charged for trips under six miles (9.6 km),
   and the maximum fare is $7.65 for the 51-mile (82 km) journey between
   Pittsburg/Bay Point and San Francisco International Airport, consisting
   of the regular fare and all possible surcharges. Passengers without
   enough fare to complete their journey must use an AddFare machine to
   pay the remaining balance in order to exit the station. Because of the
   amount of the base fare, traveling between BART stations in downtown
   San Francisco on BART is slightly cheaper than the city's own light
   rail system, the MUNI Metro, which is also generally slower covering
   the same distance and costs $1.50. However, 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 various
   quirks in the fare system due to a subsidy being provided to riders
   traveling between some outlying stations. For example, for a trip from
   Dublin/Pleasanton to Fremont, it is less expensive to exit the station
   at the transfer point, Bay Fair, and re-enter the station, instead of
   staying on the platform, because you would get charged two $1.40 base
   fares instead of a $3.90 fare from end to end.

   BART uses a system of five different colour-coded tickets for regular
   fare, special fare, and discount fare to select groups as follows:
     * Blue tickets – General: the most common type, includes high-value
       discount tickets
     * Red tickets – Disabled Persons and children aged 4 to 12: 62.5%
       discount, special ID required (children under the age of 4 ride
       free)
     * Green tickets – Seniors age 65 or over: 62.5% discount, proof of
       age required for purchase
     * Orange tickets – Student: special, restricted-use 50% discount
       ticket for students age 13-18 currently enrolled in high or middle
       school
     * BART Plus – special high-value ticket with 'flash-pass' privileges
       with regional transit agencies, including MUNI's buses.

   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 fare values of $48 and $64. Capitol Corridor trains sell
   $10 BART tickets on-board in the café cars for only $8, resulting in a
   20% discount. A 62.5% discount is provided to seniors, the disabled,
   and children age 5 to 12. Middle and high school students 13 to 18 may
   obtain a 50% discount if their school participates in the BART program;
   however, these tickets are intended to be used only between the
   students' home station and the school's station and for transportation
   to and from school events. However, these intended limitations are not
   enforced in any way and students are expected to behave on the honour
   system. Also, the tickets may only be used on weekdays, a restriction
   that is actually enforced by the faregates. BART Plus tickets enjoy a
   last-ride bonus where if the remaining value is greater than 5 cents,
   the ticket can be used one last time for a trip of any distance. The
   special tickets must be purchased at selected vendors and not at ticket
   machines. In particular, the middle and high school tickets are usually
   sold at the schools themselves.

   Family members of BART employees, however, receive special BART passes
   and can ride free-of-charge upon showing their pass and photo
   identification to the BART station attendant.

   Fares are enforced by the station agent, who monitors activity at the
   fare gates adjacent to the window and at other fare gates through
   closed circuit television and faregate status screens located in the
   agent's booth. All stations are staffed with at least one agent at all
   times. Despite this, fare fraud occasionally occurs, usually as a
   result of people entering and exiting through the emergency exit gate.

   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 to other transit modes. One
   fare coordination program permits adult monthly pass holders of the San
   Francisco Municipal Railway to 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 one of the first US systems of any size to have substantial
   automated operations. The trains are computer-controlled via BART's
   Operations Control Centre (OCC) and headquarters at Lake Merritt and
   generally arrive with regular punctuality. Train operators are present
   to make announcements, close doors, and operate the train in case of
   unforeseen difficulties.

   As a first generation system, BART's automation system 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,
   though there were no injuries. When revenue service began, "ghost
   trains", trains that show up on the computer system as being in a
   specific place but don't physically exist, were common, and real trains
   could at times disappear from the system, as a result of dew on the
   tracks and too low of a voltage being passed through the rails for
   detecting trains. Under such circumstances, trains had to be operated
   manually and were restricted to a speed of 25 mph (about 40 km/h). In
   addition, the fare card system was easily hackable with equipment
   commonly found in universities, although most of these flaws have been
   fixed.

   During this initial 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 Westinghouse, the original controls
   contractor, and BART, as well as 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. Ghost trains
   apparently still persist on the system to this day and are usually
   cleared quickly enough to avoid significant delay, but occasionally
   some can cause an extended backup of manually operated trains in the
   system. BART does not operate two-car trains per PUC requirements, even
   though it is operationally feasible.

Connecting rail and bus transit services

   AC Transit bus stop at Bay Fair Station
   Enlarge
   AC Transit bus stop at Bay Fair Station

   BART has direct connections to two regional rail services – Caltrain,
   which provides service between San Francisco, San Jose, and Gilroy, at
   the Millbrae Station, and Amtrak's Capitol Corridor, which runs from
   Sacramento to San Jose, at the Richmond and Coliseum/Oakland 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 until 2010.

   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 Marin County, was turned over to
   Muni and both agencies share the Embarcadero, Montgomery Street, Powell
   and Civic Centre 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 1997, 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 bring 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 in addition to exact change. BART also connects
   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 to BART as well and include the Emery Go Round
   ( Emeryville), WestCat (northwestern Contra Costa County), Benicia
   Transit ( Benicia), Union City Transit ( Union City), and the Santa
   Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA, in Silicon Valley).

   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. It has
   since been replaced by a number of regular AC Transit bus routes.

Other connecting services

   BART hosts Car Sharing locations at a number of stations, a program
   pioneered by City CarShare. Riders can transfer from BART, and complete
   their journeys by car.

   Casual Car Pools have formed at several stations.

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 report recommended that the cheapest solution to reduce traffic
   tie-ups would be 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.

   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 high costs and existing 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 were finally 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 in downtown Oakland, Market Street in San Francisco, and
   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.

   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
   codes. 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 under-crossings, 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 actually
   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.

   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.

   In October 2004, BART received the American Public Transportation
   Association 2004 Outstanding Public Transportation System award for
   transit systems with 30 million or more annual passenger trips. BART
   issued announcements and began a promotional campaign declaring that it
   had been named #1 Transit System in America by APTA, but no such award
   or title is currently given by the organization.

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 three new stations in addition to the SFO
   station – South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae, the last of which
   had a cross-platform connection to Caltrain, the first of its kind west
   of the Mississippi River. The project encompassed 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. The precursor
   project for the airport extension was the Daly City Tailtrack project,
   which allowed track to be laid considerably south of its then existing
   terminus in San Francisco; this precursor work was carried out in the
   1980s.

   However, problems have plagued this extension since it opened. To date,
   it has drawn far fewer riders than anticipated, forcing BART to cease
   claiming that it remained on track on its target of 50,000 average
   weekday riders. Many commuters find it faster to take Caltrain from
   Millbrae to downtown San Francisco instead because that system has a
   more direct express route, albeit with a slightly higher fare.
   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. 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 would most likely result in the
   elimination of Caltrain.

Future expansion and extension

Warm Springs & San Jose extensions

   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. This extension received a
   green light from the federal government when the Federal Transit
   Administration issued a Record of Decision on October 24, 2006. The
   action allows BART to begin purchasing the necessary right-of-way for
   the project and receive state-administered federal funding to finance
   the project. A further, more controversial extension towards San Jose
   is also proposed by the transit district south of BART, the Santa Clara
   Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), but preliminary engineering
   remains to be completed and funding to be acquired. The VTA has
   allocated funds for constructing BART from a 2000 sales tax, but does
   not have enough money to pay for all of the other projects it promised
   to its residents. In addition, the San Jose extension project received
   a "not recommended" rating from the Federal Transit Administration due
   to the VTA's financial problems, potentially putting its future in
   jeopardy.

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 a cross-platform
   transfer east along the Highway 4 corridor to the 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 a Caltrain-like service on the
   existing Union Pacific right-of-way from North Concord to Brentwood and
   beyond to Tracy and Stockton, though such a project would be subject to
   problems associated with using non-dedicated rights of way. Service is
   expected to start in 2010.

I-580/Tri-Valley Corridor

   This extension of either conventional BART or diesel multiple unit BART
   service would go from Dublin/Pleasanton station east to Livermore and
   over the Altamont Pass into Tracy and the Central Valley along I-580.
   It could possibly also go 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 conventional BART rail to Tracy is considered
   unlikely, as San Joaquin County, in which Tracy is located, is not part
   of the nine district 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
   Station is underway with numerous options being studied. One would
   create commuter rail service utilizing lightweight diesel multiple
   units (DMU) to operate on existing or new rail trackage. In order to
   operate on existing tracks with freight service, however,
   heavier-weight DMU vehicles adhering to Federal Railroad Administration
   regulations would need to be used. This option is also known as wBART.
   A second option would 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 services. Yet another
   option would extend convetional BART to a North Richmond station near
   the Richmond Trainyard at 13th Street/Rumrill Avenue and Market Street,
   then continue along the existing Southern Pacific rail line and the
   Richmond Parkway expressway to Interstate 80. The service would have a
   Hilltop station and then continue along I-80 to Highway 4 in Hercules,
   near Hercules Transit Centre. 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. Infill stations are stations
   constructed on existing line segments between two existing stations.
   The 30th Street Mission station was planned for San Francisco between
   24th Street Mission and Glen Park stations and was estimated to cost
   approximately $500 million to construct. The Jack London Square station
   in Oakland was studied and rejected as being incompatible with existing
   track geometry. A one-station stub line to Jack London Square at the
   foot of Broadway and the utilization of other transit modes was also
   studied. The West Dublin/Pleasanton station will be located in 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, the station's foundation, along with
   some communication and train control facilities, already exist on-site.
   Construction on the station is scheduled to begin 29 October 2006, and
   is slated to be complete in 2009.

Recent news

                  2005 statistics
   Number of vehicles              670
   Initial system cost             $1.6 billion
   Equivalent cost in 2004 dollars $15 billion
   Hourly passenger capacity       15,000
   Maximum daily capacity          360,000
   Average weekday ridership       310,717
   Annual gross fare income        $233.65 million
   Annual expenses                 $581.81 million
   Annual profits (losses)         ($300 million)
   Rail cost/passenger mile        32.3 cents

   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 as highly likely to happen in the Bay
   Area within the next 30 years. Extensive seismic retrofit will be
   necessary to address many of these deficiencies, although one in
   particular, the penetration of the Hayward Fault Zone by the Berkeley
   Hills Tunnel, will be left for correction after any disabling
   earthquake at that point, with the consequenses for in-transit trains,
   their operators, and their passengers left to chance.

   On March 28 and 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, starting with a small fire that caused chaos on March 9, 2006,
   BART has experienced seven major delays, including the one above, which
   is claimed by some 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 further delays and hassles for BART.

   By November 2005, BART had become the first transit system in the
   nation to offer cellular communication to passengers of all wireless
   carriers on its trains underground. As of summer 2006, service is
   available for customers of Verizon Wireless, Sprint/Nextel, Cingular
   Wireless, and T-Mobile in and between the four San Francisco Market
   Street stations from Civic Centre to Embarcadero. This is in contrast
   to other systems in US, which, while having some cellular service, do
   not provide it for passengers of all the major cell phone carriers.
   Coverage is eventually planned for the entire system, with coverage for
   the segment between Balboa Park and 16th St. Mission by the middle of
   2007 and between Lake Merritt and 19th St./Oakland at some time after
   that.

   Since the mid 1990s, BART has been trying to modernize its aging
   30-year-old system. The aforementioned fleet rehabilitation is part of
   this modernization; presently, fire alarms, water-sprinkling systems,
   yellow tactile platform edge domes, and cemented-mat rubber tiles are
   being installed. The rough black tiles on the platform edge mark the
   location of the doorway of approaching trains, allowing passengers to
   wait at the appropriate locations for the train, instead of waiting
   until the train arrives to figure out where to board. All faregates and
   ticket vending machines have also been completely replaced.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Area_Rapid_Transit"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
