Timeline of Bay Area Rapid Transit

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The timeline currently offers focused coverage of the period until February 2024. It is likely to miss important developments outside this period (particularly after this period) though it may have a few events from after this period.

This is a timeline of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), a mass rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area.

Big picture

Period Key developments
Before 1945 The idea of the Transbay Tube has been floated, and there has been some discussion of improving Bay Area transit options, but no concrete steps.
1945–1957 A series of statutes, commissions/working groups, and reports paves the way for the concept of and initial funding for a publicly funded, grade-separated, mass rapid transit system.
1957–1964 The initial years of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BARTD) involve a successful public relations campaign to secure large-scale funding and a full-fledged system plan. BARTD also successfully weathers the first lawsuit against it.
1964–1972 This is the period between the beginning of BART construction and the opening of the first BART line for passenger use. The period involves the construction of the Transbay Tube, Berkeley Hills Tunnel, Oakland Wye, Market Street Subway, and the rest of the initial BART system.
1972–1978 The initial batch of BART stations opens up, and BART increases its service hours, expands service to weekends, and increases the length of trains over this period. The last station to open up in this batch is Embarcadero, one of only two infill stations in the BART system, and also the most heavily used BART station. The period is marked by considerable criticism of BART for its poor safety procedures and below-expectations ridership, the latter stemming from below-expectations service frequency, low reliability, and safety concerns. Research shows that BART primarily displaces bus traffic and has little effect on automobile traffic, and its main value-add is for transbay riders.
1985–2003 BART works to relieve pressure at its southwest terminus of Daly City, and extend service further south. After a Daly City Turnback Extension Project (1985 onward), and construction of Colma station (opened 1995), BART expands service to South San Francisco, San Bruno, the San Francisco International Airport, and Millbrae (where it connects with Caltrain).
1991–1997 Over this period, BART constructs the Dublin/Pleasanton and Pittsburg extensions, opening the stations of Castro Valley and (East) Dublin/Pleasanton on the former and the stations of North Concord/Martinez and Pittsburg/Bay Point on the latter.
2004–2012 (preparation starts in 2001) BART works with major cellular carriers to extend cellular connectivity throughout the underground portion of the BART system.
2009–present BART extends service south of Fremont, with the ultimate goal of going all the way to San Jose. Multiple delays in financing, construction, and technical aspects of operations delay the opening of Warm Springs/South Fremont to March 2017 and the opening of Milpitas and Berryessa to June 2020.
2011–present BART begins work on the East Contra County Extension Project, which adds diesel eBART service extending east from the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART terminus. The first set of new stations opens for revenue service in May 2018.
2020–mid-2023 The COVID-19 pandemic causes a huge reduction in BART ridership. As the region recovers from the pandemic, ridership rises, but long-term changes such as an increase in the prevalence of remote work create uncertainty about the future of BART ridership. As of late 2022, the long-term projections for BART ridership remain unclear, with current weekday ridership levels between 30% and 45% of pre-pandemic levels.
mid-2023 onward Wth the infusion of additional funding from the California state government, BART starts making long-term adjustments, including schedule changes, updates to train car type and train length, and fare increases, to position itself better for its new ridership pattern and new fiscal realities.

Fare schedule changes over time

Year Month and date Minimum fare Excursion fare Percentage increase in fares Date of approval of series of increases
2004 January 1 1.25 4.40  ??  ??
2006 January 1 1.40  ?? 3.7% May 2003
2008 January 1 1.50 4.90  ?? May 2003
2009 July 1 1.50 5.20 6.1% May 2003
2012 July 1 1.75 5.25 1.4% May 2003
2014 January 1 1.85 5.55 5.2% February 2013
2016 January 1 1.95 5.75 3.4% February 2013
2018 January 1 2.00 5.75 2.7% February 2013
2020 January 1 2.10 6.20 5.4% February 2013
2022 July 1 2.15 6.40 3.4% June 2022


Full timeline

Year Month and date Event type Details Associated parts of BART (stations or parts of track)
1872 Emperor Norton envisages a bridge and an underwater tube connecting San Francisco with the East Bay.[1] The bridge declarations are made in the Pacific Appeal on January 6 and March 23,[2][3] and the underwater tube declaration is made in the Pacific Appeal on June 15.[4] The bridge would be realized as the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, and the underwater tube would be realized as the Transbay Tube, a part of BART. Transbay Tube
1936 November 12 Highway transportation The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens for traffic, three years after construction began on July 8, 1933.[5] Transbay Tube
1945 Organization The San Francisco Bay Region Council is created by California's State Reconstruction and Re-Employment Commission.[6]:42 Although funded by the state in its first year, the council incorporates as a private nonprofit organization, and changes its name to the Bay Area Council. Initial supporters of the now private BAC include Bank of America, American Trust Company, Standard Oil of California, Pacific Gas & Electric, U.S. Steel, and Bechtel Corporation. In subsequent years, BAC would be influential in pushing for transportation changes in the San Francisco Bay Area, including enhancements to the bridges as well as the creation of BART.
1946 Acquisition The Key System Trasit Company, a private operator of electric trollies in the Bay Area, is acquired by National City Lines, a company representing automobile and bus interests, that wishes to eliminate electric trollies from the streets.[6]:45 The removal of a key alternative provider of mass transit would pave the way for mass transit solutions such as BART.
1947 Report A joint review board by the United States Army and Navy concludes that an additional link is needed between San Francisco and Oakland to reduce congestion on the Bay Bridge. The proposed link is an underwater tube to carry high-speed electric trains.[7][8] Transbay Tube
1949 Legislation The California state legislature passes the San Francisco Bay Area Metropolitan Rapid Transit District Act.[9] According to the Act, a specially created district would be needed to operate effectively in the context of multiple Bay Area governmental units. The Act provides that the district shall include the city and county of San Francisco and the cities of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Hayward, Oakland, Piedmont, and San Leandro, and may include all or any part of Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties and any city situated therein. In total, over seventy county, city and county, and city governments are potentially involved.[9]
1950 March Report The Oakland City Planning Commission submits a preliminary report to the mayors and managers of the cities in the East Bay, with an analysis of and suggested improvements to the Key System local bus service. The report emphasizes the need for a publicly owned rapid transit system on grade-separated rights of way.[9]
1951 April Report The Senate Interim Committee on the San Francisco Bay Area Metropolitan Rapid Transit Problems issues a report emphasizing the need for a rapid transit system of the kind envisioned by the Rapid Transit Act of 1949, and favors a publicly owned system over a privately owned one.[9]
1951 Legislation The California State Legislature passes a new statute, adding a Section 39 to the Rapid Transit Act of 1949.[9] It creates a 26-member San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Commission, comprised of representatives from each of the nine counties which touch the Bay. The Commission's charge is to study the Bay Area's long range transportation needs in the context of environmental problems and then recommend the best solution.[9][7][8]:25 Both the joint Army/Navy report[8]:25 and the efforts of BAC are credited for the legislature's decision.[6]:44
1953 January Report A report prepared by the Rapid Transit Commission with the help of the consulting firm Deleuw, Cather & Co. is submitted to the California state legislature. The report is based on plans, data, and information from all the nine counties potentially covered by the Rapid Transit Act. The report argues that highways alone will not solve the transportation problems of the Bay Area, and pushes for mass rapid transit that has a low elapsed time from start to destination, and that can integrate well with other modes of transport.[9] The Senate Interim Committee endorses this report, and draws particular attention to four major interurban operators serving the Bay Area: Pacific Greyhound Lines, Key System Transit Lines, Southern Pacific Company, and Peerless Stages System.[9]
1953 November 4 Legislation The California state legislature passes another statute, appropriating $400,000 to enable the Rapid Transit Commission to make preliminary studies for the development of a coordinated master plan. The statute provides that the amount appropriated by the state is to be spent only if the nine counties appropriate an additional $350,000. This condition is fulfilled on November 4.[9]
1953 November 12 Report Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Hall and Macdonald (PBHM) are commissioned for the study for which $750,000 was appropriated on November 4.[9][6]:52
1955 Report The Senate Interim Committee on the San Francisco Bay Area Metropolitan Rapid Transit Problems issues a report saying that the general transit situation in the Bay Area has deterioriated. Based on counts of the number of people who commute to work, it concludes that the Bay Area is a single economic unit and is in urgent need of a mass transit system.[9]
1955 Legislation The California state legislature extends the lifetime of the Rapid Transit Commission (that was created in 1951 and scheduled to end in 1955) to 1957, and allowing any unallocated portion of the previously appropriated $750,000 to be used for publicity of the Bay Area's transit problems.[9]
1956 January Report Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Hall and Macdonald (PBHM) present a report, Regional Rapid Transit (RRT) to the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Commission, that was commissioned in November 1953. This report is the first planning document for BART and would be the starting point for further reports.[9][6]:52
1957 Highway transportation A number of citizens' groups protest freeway construction in San Francisco starting around this time, beginning with the Embarcadero Freeway. This leads to increased interest in mass rapid transit as an alternative.[6]:48
1957 March (legislation), June 4 (creation of the District) Legislation Based on the findings of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Commission, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BARTD) is formed by the California state legislature, comprising the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo. Santa Clara county is not included.[7][8]:25 The draft bill had been the subject of public hearings in November 1956, been revised and introduced in January 1957, had another public hearing on February 20, and finally passes when the legislature reconvenes in March.[9]
1957 November 14 Meeting The first meeting of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District occurs.[9]
1957 December 16 Report The final report of the Rapid Transit Commission is submitted to the California state legislature.[9]
1958 Team Billy Richard Stokes (stylized B. R. Stokes), a former Oakland Tribune newsman, joins the Bay Area Rapid Transit District as its first employee, with the title of Director of information.[10][9] Stokes starts a carefully orchestrated publicity campaign, with the goal of convincing voters to vote favorably for upcoming BART bond measures.[9]
1958 Team John Pierce, a former executive of the Western Oil and Gas Association (WOGA) becomes the first General Manager of BART.[10][11]
1959 May 14 Work contracts BART retains the services of the joint engineering venture composed of Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Hall and Macdonald, Tudor Engineering, and the Bechtel Corporation to develop a regional plan.[8]:54
1959 Financing plan A bill is passed in the California state legislature providing for financing of what would later become the Transbay Tube through surplus toll revenues from the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.[9]
1961 System plan A final plan is sent to the boards of supervisors of the five counties. The system would have three endpoints in the East Bay: Concord, Richmond, and Fremont; one in the Northwest at Novato, and one in the South Bay at Palo Alto.[7]
1962 April County coordination San Mateo County opts out of BART, citing high costs, existing service provided by Southern Pacific commuter trains, and concerns over shoppers going to San Francisco, hurting local businesses. The withdrawal of San Mateo County leads to Daly City (just at the border between the counties) as the southwest terminus.[7]
1962 May County coordination Following the withdrawal of San Mateo County, Marin County also withdraws, citing engineering objections and the potential for not getting enough votes. This leads to cancellation of the plans for a northwest terminus and the Geary Subway section of the system.[7]
1962 May Report The Composite Report (CR) is produced by the consortium of Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Hall and Macdonald, Tudor Engineering hired by BARTD in 1959.[6]:54 Among the key expectations/predictions of the report are: 1) BART would divert 48,000 workday autos from the streets and highways by 1975, and 2) 258,500 daily passengers would be riding BART in 1975; 157,400 (61%) diverted from automobiles and 39% diverted from existing transit systems.[12]
1962 November 6 County coordination The remaining three counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco) agree to the modified BART plan with a $792 million bond measure, with terminuses at Richmond, Concord, Fremont, and Daly City.[13][7] The measure, known as Proposition A on the three-county ballot, is able to pass due to two changes engineered by Alan K. Browne of the Bank of America: (a) getting the state legislature to reduce the needed BART vote from 66.67% (the default) to 60%, and (b) allowing for the requirement of crossing the vote threshold to be applied to all votes together, rather than county-by-county. Without both these changes, the measure would not have passed.[6]:59 Supporters of the measure organize a campaign committee called Citizens for Rapid Transit, whose top members are San Francisco bankers.[6]:59 In contrast, there is no organized opposition. Opponents include the Civil League of Improvement and Associations that opposes the taxes needed, the Central Council of Civic Clubs and the San Francisco Labor Council that have more specific objections, and some automobile and older railroad companies, though these companies do not spend resources on opposing the bond measure.
1962 November 29 Work contracts BART signs a new contract with the successors to the firms it had contracted with to come up with a design for the system. The new contract is for overall system planning through research and development, design, and management of construction. The contract is with the engineering joint venture firm composed of Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade, and Douglas (the successor to Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Hall, and MacDonald), Tudor and Bechtel. In short, the joint venture to which the work is contracted is called PBTB.[14][15]
1962/1963 Lawsuit Robert L. Osborne, an Oakland city councilman and East Bay manufacturer, files a lawsuit against BARTD arguing that fixed rail is obsolete, that BART stations would be too far apart to encourage riders, that better and more efficient transit systems were rejected by BARTD, that the ultimate cost would exceed the $792 million approved, that BARTD's contract with PBTB is open-ended and illegal and based on nepotism, and that an illegal, close working relationship exists between the Citizens for Rapid Transit Committee and BART public officials.[9] The court first eliminates some of the allegations, then after hearing the plaintiff's case at trial the court rules against the plaintiff.[9] Many of these allegations would later prove true.[6]:63[9]
1963 Team B. R. Stokes, who was BART's first employee serving as BART's Director of Information, becomes the General Manager of BART.[10]
1964 June 19 Construction BART construction is officially inaugurated by President Lyndon Johnson, presiding over the ground-breaking ceremony for a 4.4-mile test track between Concord and Walnut Creek.[15][9][13] Concord, Walnut Creek
1965 October/November Construction Construction of the Berkeley Hills Tunnel begins.[15] Berkeley Hills Tunnel
1966 January 24 Construction Construction of the Oakland subway part of BART, including the Oakland Wye (the part of BART in Oakland that is underground), begins.[13][15] Oakland Wye; stations of 19th Street, 12th Street, Lake Merritt
1966 August PBTB issues its specification for the work required to design and provide the automatic train control (ATC) system.[16]:123
1966 October Construction, Referendum Since 1965, the government of the city of Berkeley had been pressing BART to construct the Berkeley portion of the BART underground (instead of elevated), and said it is willing to pay the additional construction costs. The city government is concerned that an elevated track would reduce connectivity between the black population of South Berkeley and the rest of the city, and reduce prices in the area. Due to disputes between Berkeley city engineers and BART engineers about the magnitude of additional costs, competitive bidding is opened up both for underground and elevated construction, and the city of Berkeley decides, after seeing the difference between the bids, to pay extra for underground construction. A referendum is held in October 1966, where the residents of Berkeley overwhelmingly vote in favor of underground construction and the corresponding tax increase (with 83% in favor, compared to the 75% that city officials were hoping for).[9] BART's website claims that this led to a 2.5-year delay in construction, $18 million in additional costs, and a 17-month delay in starting Ashby station construction.[15] Ashby, Berkeley, North Berkeley (stations in Berkeley)
1966 November Construction Construction on the Transbay Tube begins, as the first of 57 giant steel and concrete sections of the 3.8-mile tube is lowered to the bottom of the Bay by a small navy of construction barges and boats.[15] Transbay Tube
1967 Report In response to criticism by the California Society of Professional Engineers (CSPE), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Board of Ethical Review reviews the case. The Opinions are published as Case No. 66-1 in Vol. 2, 1967. The Opinion concludes that it is not appropriate to issue criticism of the fee arrangements in the manner that CSPE did.[8]:97
1967 February Construction The boring of the Berkeley Hills Tunnel is completed.[15] Berkeley Hills Tunnel
1967 May Work contracts The contract for the operation of BART's automatic train control (ATC) system is won by Westinghouse for $26.1 million, as it is the lowest bidder, $3 million below the second lowest bidder. The other bidders for the contract are General Railway Signal Company, Philco-Ford Company, General Electric Company, and Westinghouse Air Brake Company.[15][14]
1967 July 25 Construction Construction for BART tracks along the Market Street Subway in San Francisco commences. The construction is carried out using cut-and-cover.[17][13] Market Street Subway; stations include downtown San Francisco stations of Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell Street, and Civic Center
1968 Work contracts IBM wins a $5 million contract to design BART's fare ticket collection machines.[18]
1969 April 3 Construction The final section of the Transbay Tube is laid out (it has not yet been fitted for use by trains).[19] Transbay Tube
1969 April Legislation After three years of debate, the California state legislature approves BARTD's request for $150 million in funds, by levying a 0.5% sales tax in the BART counties.[15][10]
1969 July Train cars The contract for making BART's electric train cars is won by Rohr Industries, Inc. of Chula Vista, California. The initial contract is for 250 train cars, at a cost of $80 million.[15][18]
1969 August Construction The Transbay Tube construction is completed.[13] Transbay Tube
1969 September 1 Controversy At the Contra Costa County meeting to nominate candidates for the BART Board, Roy Andersen, the candidate of the Diablo Chapter of the CSPE delivers a speech critical of the BART/PBTB relationship.[8]:101
1969 November 9 Preview A section of the Transbay Tube is opened for pedestrian traffic, prior to being fitted out for train use.[20] Transbay Tube
1970 August Train cars The first prototype BART train car is delivered by Rohr Industries, Inc.[18]
1970 Legislation The California state legislature creates the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC).[21] The MTC works closely with the California Department of Transportation and is the public governmental agency responsible for planning, financing, and coordinating transportation for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area; BART falls under its purview.[22] The nine counties include the three BART counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco) and six others (Marin, Napa, San Mateo (that is touched by BART but is not a BART county), Santa Calara, Solano, and Sonoma).[23] The Commission would hold its first meeting in February 1971.[21][24]
1971 early year Train cars, system testing The ten test prototype train cars delivered so far are being operated round-the-clock around the Fremont line, to prove out the new design before full-scale production.[18]
1971 January 27 Construction Construction of the two-level Market Street Subway is completed, with a final tunnel bore holed through Montgomery Street Station.[15] Market Street Subway; stations include downtown San Francisco stations of Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell Street, and Civic Center
1971 September Report The Battelle Memorial Institute publishes a report on BART, pointing out that the automatic train control (ATC) system would suffer from a train detection problem.[16]:136
1971 October Fare collection IBM demonstrates the first group of prototype fare collection machines to the BARTD Board of Directors. The machines are manufactured at IBM's San Jose plant.[18]
1971 November 5 Train cars The first production car for revenue service is delivered.[13] Note that SFGate reports the date as June 27, 1965, but this seems incorrect based on the rest of the timeline.[17]
1971 December The BART District Board adopts the official inter-station fare schedule, ranging from a 30 cent minimum to a $1.25 maximum fare.[18]
1971 December System testing During system testing, BART has a collision between a moving train and a stationary train. Despite concerns from the board of directors, BART management dismisses the problem as not serious.[16]:135
1972 January The BART District Board approves 75% fare discounts for patrons above 65 years for patrons over 65 and patrons under 13, with discount tickets to be sold through local bank branches instead of at BART stations.[18]
1972 January System testing BART begins total acceptance testing of its entire system. Max Blankenzee, one of the three engineers who would be fired from BART in March, argues against starting total acceptance testing when the subsystems have not been fully tested.[16]:129
1972 February and March Controversy Three engineers working for BART, Max Blankenzee, Robert Bruder, and Holger Hjortsvang, had identified safety problems with the Automated Train Control (ATC).[16] They contact Daniel Helix, mayor of Concord and a member of the BART board of directors, who raises the matter with the board, and goes public with the issues on Febrary 7-9. On February 24 or 25, at a public meeting of BART, the issues are raised. The board votes ten to two in support of BART management.[14][16]:118 On March 3, BART, having determined the identities of the three whistleblowing engineers, gives them the option of resigning or being fired. After they refuse to resign, they are all fired.[14]
1972 September 11 Service start BART opens service. Initial service is between the stations of MacArthur and Fremont (completely in the East Bay). Initial service is on weekdays only, and comprises eight trains, each of which is two or three cars long.[17][13][18] MacArthur, 19th Street, 12th Street, Lake Merritt, Fruitvale, Coliseum, San Leandro, Bay Fair, Hayward, South Hayward, Union City, and Fremont
1972 September 27 Federal funding United States President Richard Nixon issues a statement that an additional $38.1 million of federal funds will be available to BART from the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (now the Federal Transit Administration), based on provisions of the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1970. The funds will help go toward making the remaining 47 miles of BART track operational. Through 1972, federal funds for BART have totaled $181 million, or 13% of the total cost.[25]
1972 Report BART conducts studies of the feasibility of the following extensions: Daly City to San Francisco International Airport, Coliseum to Oakland International Airport, Concord to the Pittsburg-Antioch area, and Bay Fair (on the Fremont line) to the Livermore-Pleasanton area.[18] Daly City, Colma, South San Francisco, San Bruno, San Francisco International Airport, Oakland International Airport, North Concord/Martinez, Pittsburg/Bay Point, Castro Valley, West Dublin/Pleasanton, Dublin/Pleasanton (and other stations still being considered)
1972 (continuing till 1974) Controversy, Safety Concerned by the controversy surrounding the engineers who raised safety concerns with BART, California's legislative analyst A. Alan Post commissions Bill Wattenburg to review problems with BART. Wattenburg identifies a number of potential flaws with the method BART uses to track trains, and provides suggestions to improve the system, albeit in a combative fashion that generates a lot of publicity (including San Francisco Chronicle coverage) but is not well-received by BART.[26][27] Wattenburg continues highlighting the flaws and potential solutions till as late as 1974.[28]
1972 October 2 Accident A failure of the Automated Train Control (ATC) system at BART causes an accident at Fremont station called the Fremont flyer, where a train runs off the end of the elevated track and crashes to the ground at the parking lot. Four people are injured.[29][30]
1972 November Report At the request of the California Senate Public Utilities and Corporations Committee, California's legslative analyst A. Alan Post issues a report containing criticisms of BART's Automated Train Control (ATC) system as well as its contracting and operating procedures. Within three weeks, BART issues a 157-page response, agreeing to some of the suggestions (and outlining its intention to implement them) but viewing others as nitpicky, questionable, and misguided.[8]:233-235[31][29]
1972 December Controversy IEEE Spectrum publishes a letter from Hjortsvang (one of the BART engineers who had been fired for his criticism of BART's safety) (Forum, pp. 16–17). In the letter, he outlines criticisms of both BART and the Westinghouse-designed ATC system.[16]:122
1972 Commission The BART Impact Program, a policy-oriented study and evaluation of the impacts of BART, is started, with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the California Department of Transportation, and administed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) under contract. The program would run till 1978 and produce its final report in 1979.[32][24]
1973 January 29 New stations BART opens service from MacArthur to Richmond (in the East Bay), as well as all the stations along the line (except MacArthur which was already open).[13] Ashby, Berkeley, North Berkeley, El Cerrito Plaza, El Cerrito Del Norte, and Richmond.
1973 January 31 Report A report is produced by a special blue ribbon panel of experts, namely Drs. Bernard Oliver, Clarence Lovell, and William Brobeck, commissioned by the Senate Public Utilities and Corporations Committee, working closely with BART. The report includes 21 technical recommendations.[8]:233-235[16]:122 The views of the experts are summarized in "A prescription for BART" in IEEE Spectrum, pp. 40–44, April 1973.[16]:122
1973 May 21 New stations BART opens service from MacArthur to Concord (in the East Bay), as well as all stations on the line (excluding MacArthur that was already in service) completing the East Bay part of its initial plan.[13] Rockridge, Orinda, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, and Concord.
1973 August Report A 42-page report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), titled Safety Methodology in Rapid Rail Transit System Development (NTSB-RSS-73-1), is published.[33] The report is in response to concerns raised around transit system safety, partly due to safety concerns at BART.[34]
1973 August 10 Preview The first test run of a train under automatic control from West Oakland to Montgomery is performed. The train runs at full speed, taking seven minutes and returning in another six minutes.[35] Transbay Tube, stations of West Oakland, Montgomery
1973 November 3, 5 New stations BART opens its service in San Francisco (not yet connected with the East Bay), from Montgomery to Daly City.[13] Montgomery, Powell Street Station, Civil Center/UN Plaza, 16th Street/Mission, 24th Street/Mission, Glen Park, Balboa Park, and Daly City.
1973 November Automatic train control Hewlett-Packard (HP) demonstrates to BART a model of a logical prediction system for better tracking of the position of trains in the BART system. Convinced by this, BART instructs Westinghouse to incorporate the measure in its control system. Hjortsvang, one of the engineers previously fired from BART, would later note that HP's design is based on the suggestion he had previously made to BART to improve the reliability of train tracking.[16]:125
1974 May 24 Team BART general manager B. R. Stokes steps down from his role, after legislators make his resignation a precondition for continued funding of BART.[36][10]
1974 August 27 Approval The California Public Utilities Commission gives BART permission to start transbay service for two lines: Fremont to Daly City and Concord to Daly City. The trains would operate under a computer-augmented block system (CABS-l) with one-station separation between trains.[16]:122
1974 September 16 New stations BART opens its station in West Oakland and begins trans-bay service between its East Bay and San Francisco stations.[13] Initially, only the Concord and Fremont trains go across the Bay to San Francisco; passengers on the Richmond line need to transfer at MacArthur or 12th Street. As of this time, headways for trains are 12 minutes.[32][16]:122 West Oakland, system-wide
1974 October Vehicles and devices on BART BART temporarily authorizes bicycles on BART, with folding bikes allowed at all times and standard-size bikes allowed outside of rush hours. There is a limit of 5 bicycles per train, all bicycles must be in the rear of the last car, and anybody using a bicycle needs to have a permit (permits are issued for 3-year periods). The policies would become permanent in December 1975.[37]:1-1
1974 November 5 Team A nine-member elected Board of Directors replaces the previous appointed Board.[13] The leadership of BART changes considerably, as voters are dissatisfied with the previous board members.
1975 July 30 Train cars Rohr Industries, Inc. completes the delivery of the 450 train cars it was contracted to make for BART (the original contract for 250 cars for $80 million was entered into in July 1969, and an additional 200 cars were contracted later, for another $80 million). 64% of the $160 million base cost is funded through federal transit funds.[18]
1975 May 26 Legislation The California Senate amends the California Public Utilities Code by adding (or updating?) Section 29047. The new Section 29047 says that the Bay Area Rapid Transit District is subject to regulations of the California Public Utilities Commission, and must reimburse the California Public Utilities Commission for the cost of regulating it.[38][34]
1975 July 1 Fares BART adopts a 75% fare discount for people with disabilities, and increases the discount for seniors from 75% to 90%.[13]
1976 January 1 Service hours/frequency/capacity Permanent night service goes into effect. Hours of operations are extended to 6 AM to midnight (only weekdays).[13] This is after night service was introduced on a temporary basis in November 1975.[32] Previously, the hours of service were 6 AM to 8 PM.[32]
1976 May Report The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) produces a report on the use of automatic train control (ATC) in rail rapid transit. BART is one of the five rapid transit systems studied. The only other transit system that uses ATC extensively at the time is the PATCO Lindelwold line, which is also studied. The other transit systems included in the study are those of Chicago New York City, and Boston.[34]
1976 May 27 New stations BART opens its Embarcadero station, its first infill station. This would become BART's busiest station.[13] Embarcadero
1976 July 1 Transit connections SamTrans (the San Mateo Country Transit District) is incorporated. This provides bus service in San Mateo County, and in particular, provides bus feeder lines into the Daly City BART station. Daly City
1976 October Report A monograph titled The BART Experience -- What Have We Learned? by Melvin M. Webber, and supported jointly by the Institute of Transportation Studies and the Institute of Urban and Regional Development, University of California, Berkeley, is published.[12] The report includes: design considerations, patronage, effect on highway traffic, effect on metropolitan development, and various aspects of the finances. Findings from the report would be echoed in later reports.[32]
The report argues that BART failed to meet its patronage projections by a huge margin, part of which is due to BART having lower capacity (shorter train cars, fewer hours of service, low service frequency) and poorer service reliability compared to expectations.
In terms of ridership, the report finds that BART primarily displaces transbay bus transit, compared to which BART is faster but more expensive (both in direct fare terms and in terms of subsidies). BART does not displace local, short-trip, transit.
BART's effect on reducing highway congestion is lower than expected, and the report attributes this to BART being slower and less convenient than automobiles, and not clearly cheaper. Only 35% of BART riders report that they would have used an automobile instead of BART, compared to the prediction of 61% in the 1962 Composite Report. Key reasons people use BART include not owning a vehicle and wanting to avoid the higher stress of a driving commute.
Initial reductions in highway traffic after the opening of BART routes (the Berkeley Hills Tunnel, the Transbay Tube, and BART lines that parallel freeways) did not last long, with rapid recovery to original levels.
1976 December 6 Service hours/frequency/capacity BART increases commute-hour length on all trains, going up to ten-car trains, with a seating capacity of 720.[13]
1977 November Service hours/frequency/capacity BART begins Saturday service (6 AM to midnight).[32]
1978 June 30 Economics BART's farebox recovery ratio is reported at 35%, with an average of $0.73 collected in fares and $2.02 spent per passenger. In total, revenue from fares is $28 million and operating cost is $78 million. The shortfall is met through a portion of sales tax and property tax in the three counties where BART is operational.[32]
1978 July Service hours/frequency/capacity BART begins Sunday service (9 AM to midnight), thus making it available all days of the week.[32]
1978 November 3 Report The report BART's first five years : transportation and travel impacts : interpretive summary of the final report is published. This is part of the BART Impact Program, sponsored by the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.[32] This echoes many of the findings of the October 1976 Webber monograph, while also mentioning recent service capacity enhancements and more up-to-date financials.[12]
1978 Transit connections The Amtrak-operated San Joaquin train, that runs between Bakersfield (near Los Angeles) and Oakland, starts stopping at Richmond station, a station shared with (and a terminus for) BART. Previously, the route, that runs on old Southern Pacific Railroad tracks, passed through but did not stop at Richmond. The route started operating under Amtrak on March 5, 1974.[39] Richmond
1979 January 17 Accident The fifth and sixth cars of a seven-car westbound BART train (Train No. 117) catch fire at 6:06 p.m. while in the Transbay Tube. Forty passengers and two BART employees are evacuated from the burning train through emergency doors into a gallery walkway located betwen the two tracks, and then into a train on the tracks running the other direction. One fireman dies when the gallery suddenly fills with black toxic smoke. 24 firemen, 17 passengers, 3 emergency personnel, and 12 BART employees are treated for smoke inhalation. Total property damage is estimated at $2,450,000. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determines the probable cause of the accident to be the breaking of collector shoe assemblies on the train when it struck a line switchbox cover which had fallen from an earlier train. NTSB also finds the failure of BART to conform to the emergency plan, and to coordinate rescue efforts between the San Francisco and Oakland fire departments, to be contributing factors to the severity of the incident.[40] Transbay Tube
1979 June, September Report The BART Impact Program produces its final report. The report is submitted in June and published in September.[24]
1980 February 18 Transit connections The San Francisco Muni Metro begins operation, with the N line.[41]:250[42] The Muni Metro (and the N line in particular) shares the four downtown San Francisco stations of Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, and Civic Center, the four stations that are part of the Market Street Subway. The Market Street Subway and the four stations in it were originally built in a double-deck configuration, with the lower deck used for BART and the upper deck used for Muni Metro -- the start of Metro service puts the upper deck in operation. Market Street Subway; four stations Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, Civic Center
1985 Construction Construction for the Daly City BART Turnback Improvement Project commences.[43]:18 Daly City, also affecting later construction leading to Colma
1985 Report The Daly City Intermodal Study proposes a $14 million of access, circulation and parking improvements to the Daly City BART station, including the construction of a park-and-ride lot south of the Daly City BART with a connecting bus service.[43]:18 The improvements would be completed in 1989. Daly City
1986 July 30 Safety, Train cars BART completes a fire-hardening program on all its transit vehicles, and claims that with the completion of the program, it has the most fire-safe transit vehicles in the United States.[13]
1987 Train cars Alstom begins construction of C1 cars, a new type of train car, for BART. C1 cars, unlike the existing A and B cars, can be used both as middle cars and as end cars, allowing for more rapid resizing of train length.[44] For more, see Bay Area Rapid Transit rolling stock#C series.
1988 Train cars The C1 cars constructed by Alstom begin to enter service.[45]
1989 Train cars The construction of C1 train cars by Alstom is completed.[44] For more, see Bay Area Rapid Transit rolling stock#C series.
1989 Construction The improvements proposed in the 1985 Daly City Intermodal Study, including improvements to access, circulation, and parking, pedestrian access, and new park-and-ride facilities, are completed.[43]:19
1989 October 17 Highway transportation shutdown The Loma Prieta earthquake causes severe damage to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge,[46] causing it to close for a month (it reopens on November 17 or 18, 1989).[47] During the time of its closure, BART ridership soars as Bay Bridge commuters turn to BART, with ridership reaching a record high of 357,135 on November 16, just before the Bay Bridge reopens.[13] Transbay Tube, effect on transbay travel
1990 December 12 Report The Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIS/FEIR) for the construction of Colma station, BART's first extension south of its current southwest terminus of Daly City, is published. The report is prepared by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration working along with BART and San Mateo County, and is pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, the Urban Mass Transportation Acts, and the California Environmental Quality Act. The report compares Colma stations to alternatives including no build, transportation systems management (TSM), a Colma BART station extension just south of Daly City, and the main Colma station proposal, dubbed the locally preferred alternative. The report comes out in favor of building Colma station. A draft version (DEIS/DEIR) was published in October 1988 to solicit comments, and a formal public hearing was held on December 8, 1988.[43] Colma
1991 October 25 Construction The first phase of a $2.6 billion extension program begins with simultaneous groundbreaking ceremonies for the Dublin/Pleasanton and West Pittsburg extensions.[13] Future stations: Castro Valley, West Dublin/Pleasanton, Dublin/Pleasanton, North Concord/Martinez, Pittsburg/Bay Point
1991 December 12 Transit connections Amtrak launches a new route, the Capitol Corridor, with initial name Capitols. The route runs from San Jose to Sacramento, respectively the former and current capital of California. The train stops at Richmond, where passengers can transfer between Amtrak and BART. The part of the route south of Richmond runs along Amtrak tracks that are roughly parallel to and 1–2 miles west of the BART route from Richmond to Fremont.[48] Richmond
1993 Fare collection BART announces a project with County Connection, a bus service in the Concord area, to introduce Translink, a single fare card that can be operated across the two systems.[49]
1994 Train cars C2 train cars constructed for BART by Morrison-Knudsen enter service. Like the C1 cars constructed by Alstom, these train cars have the flexibility of being used both as middle and end cars, allowing for rapid train resizing.[45]
1994 April Team Richard A. White becomes General Manager of BART after Frank Wilson leaves the position to become Secretary of Transportation for the state of New Jersey.[50]
1994 July to September Labor dispute BART union members threaten to strike, but the strike is prevented through a 30-day cooling-off period in July. Prolonged negotiations between management and unions lead to an agreement in late September.[51] The handling of the negotiations by SEIU Local 790 director Paul Varacalli would be met with mixed responses from BART workers, with some praise for him getting a good deal for workers, and some criticism for major givebacks to BART management.[52]
1994 August 31 Train cars The first of a new generation of transit cars arrives at the Hayward maintenance facility. The transit car is part of an 80-car order.[13]
1995 Train cars BART contracts with ADTranz, a subsidiary of Mercedes Benz (and later acquierd by Bombardier Corporation) to replace the brown seats in train cars with polyurethane cusioning.[53]
1995 November 15 Fare collection BART and County Connection abandon Translink, their smart fare collection program, due to high costs.[49]
1995 December 16 New stations The North Concord/Martinez station opens up for revenue service. This is the first of two stations to open on the West Pittsburg part extension, and replaces Concord as the terminus for its line. North Concord/Martinez, indirect effect on Concord (which is now no longer the terminus)
1996 February 24 New stations The Colma station opens for revenue service, with a colocated SamTrans Transit Center. Not all trains coming to San Francisco go all the way to Colma; some of them still stop at Daly City. Balboa Park is the official southbound transfer station and Daly City is the official northbound transfer station for people who want to go to Colma from lines that do not extend all the way to Colma. Residents express concerns about high cost of financing the extension, limited usefulness to them, and displacing Caltrain.[54][13] Colma (also indirect effect on Daly City and Balboa Park)
1996 October Vehicles and devices on BART A 6-month trial period is initiated where the requirement for a permit to have a bicycle on BART is removed, and bikes are now allowed in the rear of any car other than the first car (previously, they were only allowed in the rear of the last car). The trial period is successful and the policies become permanent in March 1997.[37]:1-1
1996 Data The first BART Customer Satisfaction Survey is conducted. The survey would be conducted every two years since that time, until at least 2016.[55]
1996 September 30 Team Thomas Margro becomes General Manager of the BART District, succeeding Richard A. White who left for the top job at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.[56]
1996 December 7 New stations BART opens the Pittsburg/Bay Point station for revenue service, four months ahead of schedule. This replaces North Concord/Martinez as the terminus for its line.[13] Pittsburg/Bay Point; indirect effect on North Concord/Martinez
1997 May 10 New stations The Dublin/Pleasanton line opens for revenue service. The two new stations that open are Castro Valley station and Dublin/Pleasanton (also known as East Dublin/Pleasanton); the latter is the terminus of the line.[13] A third station, West Dublin/Pleasanton, that is in between the other two, would open later. Castro Valley, Dublin/Pleasanton
1998 January 15 Fare collection A report by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission estimates full availability of Translink (a smart card that can work across Bay Area transit agencies) by 2001.[57]
1998 Data BART conducts a Station Profile Study, to understand the profile of riders at each of its stations.[58]
1998 Work contracts CBS Outdoor wins the exclusive right to manage advertisements on BART stations and trains.[59]
1999 April Vehicles and devices on BART Bicyclists are no longer required to use the rear of the car; they can use either door of any car other than the first car.[37]:1-1
2001 January Data BART's website reports ridership numbers for every pair of entry and exit station from this time onward.[60]
2001 September Station facilities BART closes restrooms at all stations following a recommendation from the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Soon, all but the underground restrooms (ten stations total) would be reopened. Discussions on reopening the underground stations, with a more "secure" remodeled layout would continue till 2017.[61][62][63]
2001 Connectivity (cellular) The BART Board authorizes staff to develop a privately financed underground wireless telecommunications system to provide cell phone use and Internet access for the entire BART system.[64] In response to people concerned about others using cellphones and distracting others during the commute, BART condicts a pair of polls. The September 11 attacks, where cellphones are highlighted as having been useful in dealing with the situation, are believed to be a factor that makes people more in favor of improving cellular connectivity on BART.[65]
2002 Fare collection Translink, the smart card payment system, launches.[66]
2002 Vehicles and devices on BART BART creates its first Bicycle Access and Parking Plan.[37]
2003 June 22 New stations, transit connections BART extends its service south of Colma, simultaneously opening stations in South San Francisco, San Bruno, San Francisco International Airport, and Millbrae.[13] The Millbrae station is an intermodal terminal connecting with Caltrain; Caltrain had moved its own Millbrae station to this location in Spring 2003. South San Francisco, San Bruno, San Francisco International Airport, Millbrae
2004 January 1 Fares New, increased BART fares are effective from this date. The minimum fare is now $1.25 and the excursion fare is now $4.40.[67][68]
2004 May Connectivity (cellular) BART works with cellphone carriers Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile to provide cellular access in its underground stations in downtown San Francisco.[64] Downtown San Francisco stations (Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell Street, Civic Center)
2004 August 23 Recognition The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) identifies BART as the #1 transit system in the United States among systems with 30 million or more annual passenger trips.[13][56][69][70]
2004 November 2 Safety, referendum Bay Area voters approve Measure AA in a referendum. The measure allocates $980 million from property taxes for the BART Earthquake Safety Program, including seismic retrofitting of the Transbay Tube and elevated tracks to better withstand an earthquake.[13][71][72][73]
2004 Information for riders BART launches www.bart.gov/wireless for phones. This is before the smartphone era, and this website is optimized for the traditional phones of its era. The site would continue to be available even after BART launches its mobile site at m.bart.gov in 2011, but it is no longer available as of 2019.[74]
2005 January 6 Information for riders The oldest available story in the BART News archive is from this date.[75][76]
2005 October 15 Highway transportation shutdown Caltrans shuts down all eastbound lanes on the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge over the weekend for earthquake retrofit work, increasing the pressure on BART to carry transbay traffic. BRT runs transbay trains around the clock to serve transbay travelers.[77][13] Transbay Tube
2005 Connectivity (cellular) BART expands cell service to the non-downtown San Francisco underground stations, and later to the entire underground line in San Francisco.[64][65] 16th Street/Mission, 24th Street/Mission, Glen Park, Balboa Park
2006 January 1 (announcement: December 2, 2005) Fares New BART fares are effective from this date. The inflation-based fare increase is 3.7%, and there is an additional 10-cent capital surcharge to trips made within Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco Counties, including Daly City. The minimum BART fare is now $1.40 (up from $1.25).[68]
2006 March 27, 28, and 29 Service disruption BART has to shut down service for several hours on each of Monday March 27, Tuesday March 28, and Wednesday March 29, due to computer shutdowns. The firs two incidents are due to a problem with the latest version of software that was installed. The third instance is an unexpected side-effect of the work to configure a backup system for faster recovery in such incidents. In an article on April 5 on its website, BART offers a postmortem and plans for improving in the future.[78]
2006 June 3 Highway transportation shutdown Caltrans shuts down the lower deck of the Bay Bridge for earthquake retofit work for the weekend. BART runs 24-hour service for selected stations for the weekend to help people travel across the Bay during that time period.[79] Transbay Tube
2007 April 29 Highway transportation shutdown A fire in a gasoline tanker destroys part of the MacArthur Maze, closing two freeways feeding into the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. BART increases the frequency of transbay service and announces free transit and runs longer trains on Monday, April 30.[13][80] Transbay Tube, systemwide effects
2007 August 23 Team The BART Board of Directors votes 6-3 to appoint Dorothy Dugger, the current Interim General Manager, as General Manager. Dugger would become BART's first female General Manager, and would take the job after serving BART since September 1992 and being Deputy General Manager since April 6, 1994. She succeeds Thomas Margro, who retired in June.[81][82]
2007 September 1, 2, 3 Highway transportation shutdown BART runs hourly, overnight service to 14 stations Saturday, September 1, Sunday, September 2 and Labor Day, Monday, September 3 when Caltrans closes the Bay Bridge for earthquake retrofit work.[83] Transbay Tube
2008 January 1 Fares New, increased BART fares are effective from this date. The minimum fare is now $1.50 (up from $1.25) and the excursion fare is now $4.90.[84][85]
2008 July 21 Connectivity (cellular) BART works with cellphone carrier MetroPCS to add MetroPCS to the list of carriers (previous list: Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile) with service in the underground San Francisco portion of its line.[86] All of the underground San Francisco system (stations: Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell Street, Civic Center, 16th Street/Mission, 24th Street/Mission, Glen Park, Balboa Park)
2008 July, August Information for riders BART gets a Twitter account (@SFBART) in July. The earliest surviving tweet is from August 13.[87] Over the years, BART would use its Twitter account to complement its other means of providing news and real-time updates to riders, reaching over 30,000 tweets by early 2019.
2008 August 19 Vehicles and devices on BART BART approves a pilot program for the use of Segways and other Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Devices (EPAMD) on the BART system.[88]
2008 October 1 Work contracts Titan wins the exclusive right to manage advertisements on BART stations and trains (October 1 is the effective date, the winning of the contract is announced in March 2008), replacing CBS Outdoor, which has held the contract since 1998.[59][89] The company would later merge with Control Group to form Intersection Media.[90][91]
2008 Data BART conducts a Station Profile Study, to understand the profile of riders at each of its stations. This updates data previously collected in 1998.[58]
2009 January 1 Violence Oscar Grant is shot at Fruitvale station by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle, who restrained him after responding to reports of fights on a crowded BART train from San Francisco.[92][93][94][95][96] Fruitvale
2009 February 2 Connectivity (Internet) BART enters into a 20-year agreement with WiFi Rail Inc., a company based on Sacramento, to provide high-speed wifi service along the BART system, after completing an initial testing phase. Phase 2 (the post-testing phase) would be planned to extend service through San Francisco and Oakland and through the Transbay Tube.[97]
2009 July 1 (announcement: June 30) Fares New, increased BART fares are effective from this date. This is an inflation-based fare increase of 6.1% (average 20 cents) and is one of a series of fare increases from 2006 to 2012 that were approved by the BART Board in May 2003. The minimum fare is now $1.75 (up from $1.50) and the excursion fare is now $5.20 (up from $4.90).[98][99]
2009 September 22 Information for riders BART announces beta testing of on-demand SMS for riders, where they can send a SMS to a BART number and get back information such as train arrivals, delay advisories, elevator status.[100]
2009 September 30 Construction Construction begins on BART's Warm Springs Extension, extending BART from its current southeastern terminus of Fremont to a new station in Warm Springs/South Fremont.[13] Fremont, Warm Springs/South Fremont
2009 October 2 Information for riders BART annoucnes that real-time arrival information is now available over Interactive Voice Response (IVR) through local telephone numbers for the six regions that BART serves.[101]
2009 October 28 Highway transportation shutdown An emergency shutdown of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge leads to record increases in BART ridership. Ridership further increases as BART runs longer and overnight service to meet transbay travel demand.[13] Transbay Tube
2009 December 21 Connectivity (cellular) BART expands cellphone coverage to the Transbay Tube, with carriers AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint. The costs are shouldered by the carriers. The additional service expansion completes 35% of the tunnels and eight of the 16 underground stations.[64][102] Transbay Tube
2009 December 30 (announcement: August 16) Team On August 16, 2009, Gary Gee, BART Police Chief, announces his retirement in the wake of criticism of his leadership after the Oscar Grant shooting. His last day of service would be December 30.[103][104]
2010 January 25 Information for riders BART announces the official launch of its API (application programming interface) which allows developers to programmatically access a bunch of information about the BART system including real-time information about train schedules. There is also an associated online discussion group using Google Groups.[105]
2010 March 30 Service disruption A fire between Powell Street and Civic Center during morning rush hour results in delays for many commuters. BART calculates a delay of 15 to 30 minutes, but many commuters experience longer delays. BART apologizes for the disruption and for underestimating delays.[106] Powell Street, Civic Center, systemwide effects
2010 June 1 Team Kenton Rainey, who previously served as the Fairfield Police Chief, becomes the new Chief of BART Police.[96][107] He would contine to serve till his retirement on December 31, 2016.[108] Rainey would subsequently go on to become police chief of the University of Chicago Police Department.[109]
2010 June 16 Fare collection Translink, the smart card payment system used in BART and other Bay Area transit agencies, is renamed Clipper and launches officially at full scale.[66][110][111][112][113]
2010 July 15 Legislation California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signs the BART Public Safety Accountability Act into law, giving citizens a role in directing policy and reviewing practice in the BART police force for the first time, in response to problems highlighted by the shooting of Oscar Grant.[114][115] The Act modifies the California Public Utilities Code to include authorization for the BART Board of Directors to establish the Office of Independent Police Auditor (OIPA), with specific authority to investigate issues and recommend solutions. The OIPA submits its first annual report for the year 2011-2012.[116]
2010 July 17 Violence 48-year-old Fred Collins is shot by BART police and Oakland police near the Fruitvale BART station.[117][96] Fruitvale
2010 August 27 Connectivity (cellular) BART announces that it has eliminated the mobile phone dead zone at the 19th Street, 12th Street/Oakland City Center and Lake Merritt stations along with all the tunnels in between (including the Oakland Wye). There is now continuous cellular connectivity from Balboa Park to downtown San Francisco, through the Transbay Tube, and all through the Oakland underground network for major carriers.[118] 19th Street, 12th Street/Oakland City Center, Lake Merritt
2010 October 20 Construction BART celebrates groundbreaking of the Oakland Airport Connector (OAC) project, connecting the Coliseum station with the Oakland International Airport.[13] Coliseum, Oakland International Airport
2010 October 29 Construction BART has an official groundbreaking ceremony for the eBART extension, from the current terminus at Pittsburg/Bay Point to the city of Antioch. The extension will run separate electric trains rather than extend the current routes.[13]
2010 November 4 Ridership record BART records 522,200 daily riders, a record high, partly because of the San Francisco Giants World Series victory parade.[13]
2010 Report This is the earliest year for which BART's annual Report to Congress is available online. It is unclear if BART previously submitted reports to Congress.[119][120]
2011 February 19 New stations The West Dublin/Pleasanton station opens after several years of delays. It is an infill station, located on the Dublin/Pleasanton line between Castro Valley and Dublin/Pleasanton. It is the second infill station in the BART system after Embarcadero.[121]
2011 March, April Construction BART receives $19 million from the Metropolitan Transportation Commisssion in toll revenue for the East Contra Costa County Extension Project, and begins construction on the project. The project involves a diesel eBART extension from the current northeast terminus of Pittsburg/Bay Point through Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley, and Brentwood, to the Byron/Discovery Bay.[122][123]
2011 April 13 Team BART announces that General Manager Dorothy Dugger is quitting with extra compensation of $958,000 (severance of $600,000 and extra compensation of $350,000 for a smooth transition), and BART is beginning the search for a replacement. Dugger's last day at work would be April 22, 2011.[124][125][126] The announcement comes after a Board vote in February to fire Dugger,[127] which the Board then backtracked on after legal concerns are raised.[128]
2011 May 11 Information for riders BART launches an improved mobile website at m.bart.gov with location features and bike directions.[74]
2011 August 31 Team Grace Crunican, who had previously worked at the Seattle Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, and Oregon Department of Transportation becomes the new General Manager of BART.[129][130][131] The Board had almost finalized the decision to appoint her by early August 2011.[132]
2011 July 3 Violence Charles Blair Hill, a homeless man, is shot dead by a BART police officer at Civic Center after throwing a bottle at the officer.[133][134][96] Civic Center
2011 August 11 Protests To control protests (against the killing of Charles Blair Hill) in downtown San Francisco stations, BART turns off cellular service for a limited period of time in those stations.[135][96] Downtown San Francisco stations (Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell Street, Civic Center)
2011 November 18 Train cars In response to reports about the unsanitary nature of the cushioning used on BART train seats and the difficulty of cleaning carpeted floors, BART embarks on a project to replace the seats with vinyl seats as well as remove carpeting from the floors.[53]
2011 Report The 2011 Ambient Air Test Report is published. This is the first of two Ambient Air Test Reports available on the BART website, and shows that BART meets the thresholds for asbestos and respiratory dust set by the California Occupational Safety and Health Adminisrtation (Cal/OSHA).[119][136]
2011 Construction Construction begins on the eBART extension from Pittsburg/Bay Point station to Antioch. The two new stations being built on this extension are the Pittsburg Center and Antioch stations.[137] Pittsburg/Bay Point, Pittsburg Center, Antioch
2012 April 9 Information for riders BART launches a new Twitter account, @SFBARTAlert, to tweet automated service advisories. These match the advisories sent via SMS subscription and SMS on-demand. The existing BART Twitter account @SFBART will continue to be used for human-controlled messaging.[138]
2012 May 10 Train cars The BART Board of Directors votes unanimously to award a $896 million contract (plus applicable taxes and escalation contingencies) to Bombardier Transportation to design and construct 410 train cars. The cars will be 100% assembled in the United States, with at least 66% American parts.[13] The selection of Bombardier is from three bidders, based on technical capabilities and low cost, with Bombardier's bid 12% cheaper ($104 million cheaper) than the second lowest bid.[139]
2012 June Team Alicia Trost becomes the Communications Department Manager for the BART District, which also includes the title of chief BART spokesperson. Trost's comments would be included in a lot of news coverage of BART over the subsequent years.[140]
2012 July 1 (announcement: May 18) Fares New, increased BART fares are effective from this date. The inflation-based fare increase is 1.4% and is the last of four inflation-based fare increases from 2006 to 2012 that were approved by the BART Board in May 2003. The minimum fare is now $1.75 (no change) and the excursion fare is now $5.25 (up from $5.20).[141][142]
2013 February 28 Fares The BART Board approves continued inflation-based fare increases, with increases slated for the years of 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020. "The increase is calculated based on the average rate of inflation over the two year period minus 0.5% for BART’s commitment to productivity improvements." The increases are expected to raise an additional $325 million in revenue over the next eight years, and will help fund BART's capital funding needs. BART will also shift to demand-based parking, with a minimum parking cost of $1 and a 50-cent increase or decrease every 6 months for parking lots that are full and have less than 95% occupancy respectively over the 6-monthe period.[143]
2013 November Information for riders BART rebuilds its website using the open-source platform Drupal. This would lead it to win the 2014 Blue Drop Award for best government website.[144][145]
2013 July–September Data, Report The first of BART's quarterly performance reports (prepared by the Engineering & Operations Committee) is available for data in this period. The report is titled "BART Quarterly Performance Report 2014 Q1" as it was published in December 2013, which is 2014 Q1 in the United States fiscal year.[119][146]
2013 October 19 Accident A BART train strikes and kill two workers inspecting a dip in the tracks between Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill BART staitons. The train has no passengers and is being operated for training of substitute workers. Reports suggest that the driver spotted the workers, shouted at them, and tried to stop the train but it was going too fast (60 to 70 mph) and could not stop in time.[147][148] A NTSB investigation blames BART's "simple approval" practice where workers can enter the tracks after checking with BART's Operations Control Center, with no additional measures in place. In response, BART phases out simple approvals, sets a 27 mph speed limit on trains running in parts of the system where workers are on the tracks, and requires a 32-hour training program every 2 years for all BART workers who get onto the tracks.[149] Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill
2013 October 24 Vehicles and devices on BART The BART Board votes unanimously to modify BART's Bike Rules. Effective December 1, 2013, BART will allow bikes on all trains at all times—with the exception of the peak commute hours (7 am to 9 am and 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm) when bikes will not be allowed to board the first three cars of any train. The first three car rule provides an option for those who want to avoid bikes altogether. Existing rules, such as no bikes in the first train car, no bikes on crowded trains, etc. still apply. The decision is after three pilots, the first one starting with bikes being allowed on Fridays, and the latest an extended five month pilot starting July 1 of the policy now being officially adopted.[150]
2014 January 1 (announcement: December 11, 2013) Fares New, increased BART fares are effective from this date. This is the first of a series of four inflation-based fare increases approved by the BART Board in 2013 (the other three will be in 2016, 2018, and 2020); the increase is 5.2%. The minimum fare is now $1.85 (up from $1.75) and the excursion fare is now $5.55 (up from $5.25).[151][152]
2014 November 22 New stations BART opens (for revenue service) its Oakland International Airport station and its Oakland Airport Connector (OAC) connecting the station with Coliseum station. OAC does not use the standard BART tracks or cars, but rather, uses automated guideway transit (AGT). The route has a fee of $6, and although part of the BART system, using this route along with another BART route does not offer any price savings: if the fare for a trip from a station to Coliseum is $x, then the fare from the station to the Oakland International Airport (by combining that trip and AirBART) is $(x + 6). It replaces a $3 bus shuttle called AirBART.[153] Oakland International Airport, Coliseum
2014 December 30 Connectivity (Internet) BART cancels its contract with WiFi Rail Inc., the provider who had a 20-year contract starting 2009 to deliver wi-fi across the BART system. BART blames WiFi Rail Inc.'s slow progress and poor connectivity even in the areas where it has launched, while WiFi Rail Inc. says that it was hammered by lack of approval from BART to make the neded improvements and expansions. A lawsuit by WiFi Rail Inc. is still pending as of 2018.[154][155][156][157]
2015 January 2 Train cars BART completes the transition to the new vinyl seats, begun in 2011 in response to complaints about the unsanitary cushioned seats and the extra cleaning costs.[158]
2015 August and September Track maintenance and noise levels Over the weekends of August 1-2 and Labor Day Weekend (September 5-7), BART does some major track maintenance in the Transbay Tube, replacing, straightening, and flattening large sections of track, cleaning rail insulators, and replacing interlocking ties. After the first of the two track maintenances, Based on social media posts by users, BART reports that riders are experiencing lower noise levels in the Transbay Tube.[159] Transbay Tube
2015 August 10 Train cars BART completes the removal of carpets from floors in all its train cars. The project was initiated in 2011 in response to concerns about unsanitary conditions as well as the extra cleaning costs.[160] The A, B, and C2 cars now feature vinyl flooring in either grey or blue coloring, while the C1 cars feature a spray-on composite flooring.
2015 September 14 Service frequency BART makes some enhancements to its service frequencies, including running the Richmond line an extra hour in the evening, and adding extra trains for the morning and evening rush hour.[161][162]
2015 Data BART conducts a Station Profile Study, to understand the profile of riders at each of its stations. This updates data previously collected in 2008.[163]
2016 January 1 (announcement December 2, 2015) Fares New, increased BART fares are effective from this date. This is the second of four scheduled inflation-based fare increases, with the increase being 3.4% (the previous increase was on January 1, 2014, and the remaining increases would be in 2018 and 2020). The minimum fare is now $1.95 (up from $1.85) and the excursion fare is now $5.75 (up from $5.55).[164][165]
2016 January 9 Violence A homicide occurs at West Oakland station.[166] The case would reveal that many cameras on train cars are decoys.[167] The case goes unsolved for a long time.[168] West Oakland
2016 January 14 Train cars An undercover investigation by the San Francisco Chronicle shows that the majority of security cameras on train cars are decoys. This investigation is done after it is discovered that the camera on the train car of a murder was a decoy.[167][169]
2016 March 17 to April 5 Service disruption On March 17, BART suddenly shuts down train service between North Concord/Martinez and Pittsburg/Bay Point stations, due to electric issues causing damage to train cars. It establishes a bus bridge between the stations.[170] On March 21, BART resumes limited train service during rush hours, while still operating a bus bridge at other times.[171] Regular service is restored on April 5.[172]
On March 17, the first day of service disruption, Taylor Huckaby, a 27-year-old agency communications officer, starts tweeting with the hashtag #ThisIsOurReality, highlighting BART's systematic problems, blaming growth beyond the initial expectations and design of the BART system, and pointing to the urgent need for more funding for BART to solve the problems.[173][174]
North Concord/Martinez, Pittsburg/Bay Point
2016 June 30, July, September Train cars, construction BART unveils train cars for the diesel eBART East Contra Costa County Project extension, and does some test runs along the extension from Pittsburg/Bay Point to Antioch. The new stations, till Antioch, are expected to open for revenue service in 2017 or 2018.[175][176] A video of a test run is uploaded to the Bay Area Transit News YouTube channel on September 22.[177] Pittsburg/Bay Point, Pittsburg, Antioch
2016 October Report BART publishes a report "BART's Role in the Region", describing its role in the San Francisco Bay Area, its plan for the future, and the resources it needs to execute that plan.[178] The report comes shortly before Measure RR, a proposition to give BART a $3.5 billion infrastructure, is put up for the vote.
2016 November 7 Book The book BART: The Dramatic History of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System by Michael J. Healy is published by Heyday Books.[179][180] Healy served as BART's agency spokesman and had been with BART from November 1971 until his retirement in 2004.[181]
2016 November 8 Referendum San Francisco Bay Area voters approve Measure RR, providing a $3.5 billion infrastructure bond to BART for system repairs.[182] The bond would be backed by a tax levied on the three counties in the BART district, and would increase property taxes over a term of 30 to 40 years. Estimated average cost per household is $35 to $55 per year. This is the third time BART has issued general obligation bonds, the first time being the $792 million bond in 1962 for initial system construction (Proposition A), and the second time being the $980 million for the Earthquake Safety Program (Proposition AA).[183] The vote shares in the three counties are: 59.5% in Contra Costa County, 81.1% in San Francisco, and 70.8% in Alameda County, giving an average of 70.1%.[182][184]
2017 March 25 New stations BART opens its Warm Springs/South Fremont station for revenue service on this day (a Saturday), after an inauguration ceremony on Friday, March 24.[185] Due to limited availability of train cars, service frequency to this station is only half that of Fremont, causing disappointment for BART commuters.[186] Warm Springs/South Fremont, indirect effect on Fremont (which is no longer the terminus, and therefore has reduced passenger load)
2017 April 22 Violence A mass robbery occurs at around 9:30 PM at Oakland Coliseum station. A number of juveniles jump the faregates at the station, board a train, threaten the passengers, and extract valuables. By the time BART police arrives, they are already gone.[187][188][189] Coliseum
2017 May 25 Team BART Police hires a new Chief, Carlos Rojas, who was previously Chief of the Santa Ana Police Department.[190][191]
2017 June 28 Train cars BART completes the replacement of decoy cameras by real cameras in all train cars. The total cost of the project comes to $1.42 million; of which $463,749 is for the equipment and units and the remaining is for labor costs.[192]
2017 July Violence The site bartcrimes.com and the Twitter handle bart_crimes are launched at this time by a party not affiliated with BART. The rationale for launuching these is that BART now restricts crime reports to a mailing list and does not make them public.[193]
2018 January 1 (announcement: June 22, 2017) Fares Fare increases and a new fare structure are effective from this date. All fares are increased 2.7%(rounded to the nearest multiple of 5 cents). The minimum fare is now $2 (up from $1.95). Also, under the new structure, paper tickets have a 50-cent surcharge, but the age limit for youth discounts is increased to 18. BART's budget increases 5.5% to 1.92 billion dollars, most of the increase coming from additional capital improvements.[194][195]
2018 January 1 (decision: October 26, 2017) Fares On October 26, 2017, the BART Board of Directors adopts two ordinances implementing a proof of payment requirement within BART paid areas and trains. Proof of payment means that a passenger must present a valid ticket or Clipper card anywhere within the paid area of the system upon request by authorized BART personnel. The laws go into effect January 1, 2018, with a one-month grace period in which warnings will be issued in lieu of citations for first time violations.[196][197][198]
2018 January 3 Violence Sahleem Tindle is shot dead by a BART police officer at a barbershop outside West Oakland station, as a result of intervention by the officer in a violent dispute between Tindle and other individual.[199][200] West Oakland
2018 January 19 Train cars BART's new train cars are now in service for the general public, after getting the ok to do so from the California Public Utilities Commission on January 17. The cars were first ordered in 2012 from Bombardier.[201][202] An apparent brake problem causes two of the cars to be sent for maintenance, but BART claims that this does not reflect any major systemic issues.[203]
2018 April 26 Work contracts Outfront Media wins the contract for managing advertising in BART stations and trains. The previous ten-year contract starting 2008 was held by Titan, which was acquired by Intersection in 2015.[204][205] Outfront plans to install more digital displays in BART stations to carry a more diverse range of advertisements.[206]
2018 May 26 New stations The eBART extension, including the stations Antioch and Pittsburg Center station, opens on this date, with an opening ceremony the previous day (May 25).[207][208][209] A May launch had been predicted for a while, meaning that there were few last-minute launch delays.[210][211] Antioch, Pittsburg Center
2018 September 10 Service frequency BART increases service frequency to Warm Springs: the weekday daytime line from Richmond now goes all the way to Warm Springs instead of stopping at Fremont, and the Saturday and evening line from Daly City also goes all the way to Warm Springs instead of stopping at Fremont. The start time for service for the Richmond/Warm Springs line is moved back to 5 AM.[212][213] Warm Springs/South Fremont
2018 November 14 Train cars BART announces the near-completion of its project (started in July 2017) to improve the wheel shape on its legacy cars to a new shape that is less loud and less subject to wear and tear. The new train cars already have the new shape. Related improvements to the rail tracks are also under way.[214]
2019 February 11 Service hours/frequency/capacity BART is scheduled to begin the Transbay Tube retrofitting project on this date.[215] This project will shift the start time for BART service from 4 AM to 5 AM, and reduce the service frequency after 9:30 PM through the transbay tube to 24 minutes per line rather than 20 minutes per line, to allow for single-tracking through the Transbay Tube. An Early Bird Express bus service will be used to serve riders who ride between 4 AM and 5 AM.[216] Transbay Tube, but systemwide effects
2019 March 9 Service disruption At 2:45 AM on this day (Saturday) BART experiences a computer network failure. To recover properly from this failure, BART delays the start of dispatching trains to 9 AM, instead of the usual 6 AM start of Saturday service.[217] BART provides a more detailed update on March 14, and states that the last similar failure had happened in March 2006. The failure in 2006 was due to a human error when upgrading software, whereas the failure this time is due to a failure of a switch (i.e., a hardware failure). BART also describes efforts underway to both reduce the incidence and mitigate the impact of such failures.[218]
2019 April 2 Team Carlos Rojas retires as BART Police chief after less than two years of service.[219][220]
2019 July 25 Team Robert "Bob" Powers takes over as the tenth general manager of BART after unanimous approval by the BART Board, following the retirement of Grace Crunican, the previous general manager. Powers had previously served as Deputy General Manager and before that as Assistant General Manager of Planning, Development and Construction. He had previously held executive level positions for the City of Seattle Department of Transportation and the City of Baltimore Department of Transportation.[221][222]
2019 August and September Fare collection BART switches four stations to Clipper-only stations: 19th Street (August 5), Embarcadero (August 19), Powell Street (September 3), Downtown Berkeely (September 24).[223]
2019 October 24 The BART Board of Directors decides not to pursue a ban on busking, panhandling, and solicitation proposed by board member Debora Allen (5 of 9 members vote to not pursue the ban). The proposal had been met by opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union as an infringement of First Amendment rights, but the main reason given by board members for not pursuing the ban is other, more important priorities based on surveys of riders and known safety issues.[224]
2019 November 19 Violence A death-by-stabbing occurs due to an altercation in a BART train. The fight is reported between the Bay Fair and Warm Springs stations and the body is found at South Hayward station.[225] In response, BART director Debora Allen, who represents Contra Costa County, claims that BART is not doing enough to address violence in the system.[226]
2020 January 1 (announcement: December 2, 2019) Fares Fare increases and a new fare structure are effective from this date. All fares are increased by 5.4%. The minimum fare is now $2.10 (up from $2) and the excursion fare is now $6.20 (up from $5.75). This is the last of a series of four inflation-based fare increases approved by the BART Board in 2013 (the previous increases were at the beginning of 2014, 2016, and 2018). According to BART: "All new revenue from this fare increase goes to BART's highest priority capital needs including new rail cars, a new train control system to provide more frequent service and an expanded maintenance facility."[227][228]
2020 January 9 Connectivity (cellular, Internet) The BART Board approves a set of four projects aimed at improving cellular connectivity throughout the BART system as well as providing Wi-Fi on the BART Fleet of the Future trains.[229]
2020 January 10 Team BART GM Bob Powers appoints Ed Alvarez as BART Police Chief. Alvarez is a 22-year veteran of the BART Police Department and a native of the East Bay.[230]
2020 February 10 (announcement: January 31) Service hours/frequency/capacity BART makes a number of minor changes to its schedule, mainly to the time of the first and last trip of the day for each line, wiith some lines starting earlier than before and some lines starting later than before. Two-line service returns to San Francisco on Sunday.[231]
2020 February 10 Ambassador program BART launches a pilot ambassador program to increase the presence of uniformed personnel on trains to address customers’ concerns about safety and security. "The ten ambassadors will walk trains in teams of two, seven-days-a-week from 2 pm to midnight, with extra coverage on Saturdays. They will focus their patrols on the most heavily travelled section of the system, the transbay corridor between 12th St. Oakland and Civic Center stations."[232]
2020 March Service hours, usage, COVID-19 As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in California, BART ridership drops dramatically. While the initial drop is due to schools closing and workplaces announcing work-from-home, there is a further sharp drop in ridership after Bay Area counties jontly announce a stay-at-home order starting Tuesday, March 17. Ridership continues to drop as retail stores shorten hours. Despite the drop in ridership, BART mostly avoids shortening its trains or reducing service frequency, in order to allow commuters to maintain social distancing to slow the spread of coronavirus. Starting Monday, March 23, BART begins stopping service at 9 PM on all days (instead of midnight), and moves its Saturday start of service from 6 AM to 8 AM. By the end of March, ridership is down about 90% from regular levels. BART uses the reduced ridership and shortened hours to work on capital projects, moving some of its staff from running trains to capital projects.[233]
2020 April Service hours, usage, COVID-19 The reduced ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic in California continues throughout the month, with the drop each day (relative to pre-COVID projections) ranging from 90% to 95%. Starting Wednesday April 8, BART reduces its weekday train frequency for each line from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. On Monday April 13, BART closes some entrances to its downtown Oakland and downtown San Francisco stations, in order to focus cleaning efforts and improve safety for employees and riders. Starting April 22, BART begins requiring all riders to wear face masks or cloth coverings, following a "coveer your face" health order by the counties of San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa.[233]
2020 April 13 Accessibility Several entrances and exits at BART stations are closed in order to enhance safety in light of reduced usage during the COVID-19 pandemic, by allowing a reduced amount of staff to continue to monitor the entrances and exits. Affected stations include all downtown San Francisco stations (all south of Market entrances) as well as some entrances for the downtown Berkeley and downtown Oakland (12th Street and 19th Street) stations, and Balboa Park.[234] Embarcadero, Montogomery, Powell Street, Civic Center, Balboa Park, 12th Street, 19th Street, downtown Berkeley
2020 May Service hours, usage, COVID-19 Throughout the month of May, BART maintains reduced service hours from April, as ridership continues to be over 90% lower than pre-COVID projections.[233] On May 27, BART releases a "15-step plan" to welcome back riders as the Bay Area reopens from the COVID-19 lockdown.[235]
2020 June Service hours, usage, COVID-19 In response to a slight increase in ridership as some Bay Area businesses reopened as the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown is relaxed, BART adds three trains to the morning commute and three trains to the evening commute, effective Monday June 8.[236] BART adds further commute trains on the Yellow Line on Monday, June 22, as ridership picks up further.[237] On June 9, a BART employee in a public-facing role tests positive for COVID-19.[238] On June 30, BART launches data-driven passenger load charts to "provide a snapshot of what riders can expect on-board trains during the COVID-19 pandemic."[239] Overall, ridership increases during the month from being around 93% below benchmark on weekdays to being around 89% below benchmark on weekdays.[233]
2020 June 13 New stations The Milpitas station and Berryessa/North San José station open for revenue service, after being delayed by over three years, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held the previous day, Friday June 12.[240][241][242] Milpitas, Berryessa/North San José
2020 July Usage, COVID-19 Starting around July 1, BART begins publishing crowding charts by train line, time of day, and week, to help people plan their journey taking crowd levels into account, so that they can observe social distancing. The data assumes even distribution of people across train cars; however, BART's guidance says that middle cars are more likely to be crowded than cars at the front or rear end of the train.[243]
2020 July 15 Fares BART begins participating in the Clipper START program, offering a 20% discount on all rides paid for with a Clipper START card.[244][245]
2020 September 9 Train cars BART announces that it is decommissioning some old train cars, many of them running since the 1970s, as more Fleet of the Future cars become operational. The majority are to be scrapped, but some will be put on sale.[246][247]
2020 September 15 Service frequency/capacity, funding BART receives $1.2 billion from the Federal Transit Administration (its largest grant to date) for the Transbay Corridor Core Capacity Program. The funds are to be used to increase the peak throughput of the Transbay Tube to 30 trains an hour, from the current level of 23 trains an hour. The funds are restricted and cannot be used to meet BART's short-term operational shortfall.[248][249]
2021 May 15, June 12 Accessibility All BART station entrances and exits, some of which had been temporarily closed due to reduced usage and to facilitate easier monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic, are reopened. The first round of reopening, affecting Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell Street, and Balboa Park, happens May 15. The remaining temporarily closed entrances are reopened on June 12.[234] Embarcadero, Montogomery, Powell Street, Civic Center, Balboa Park, 12th Street, 19th Street, downtown Berkeley
2021 August 2 Service hours/frequency/capacity BART returns to a level of service pretty close to pre-COVID-19 levels of service, in terms of both service frequency (15 minutes during the day time) and hours (BART open till midnight all days). This is four weeks ahead of the original plan of returning to full service on August 30.[250] Also with this change, BART stops publishing its daily crowding charts, because the increase in service frequency is expected to reduce the chances of crowdedness and also because BART was unable to secure funding to integrate the information on crowding into its trip planning tools.[233]
2022 April 18, 19, 20 COVID-19 In response to a federal judge, on April 18, striking down the CDC's extension of its mask mandate in public transportation,[251] BART announces on April 20 that masks are optional but strongly recommended.[252] However, masks would once again become required on April 28.[252]
2022 April 28 COVID-19 BART reinstates its mask mandate in the paid areas of the system (with limited exceptions) via a temporary amendment to its code of conduct.[252] The mandate expires on July 18, and is then reinstated on July 28, before finally expiring on October 1. Starting October 2, masks are optional on BART.[252]
2022 June 9 Fares, budget, service frequency/hours/capacity The BART board approves a two-year budget "focused on improving the rider experience with a continued commitment to running full-service levels prioritizing a clean and safe ride." The new budget is effective July 1, 2022. The budget includes a 3.4% fare increase, that BART describes as "less-than-inflation-rate". The original fare increase had been scheduled for January 1 but was deferred due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.[253][254]
2022 July 1 Fares BART's 3.4% fare increase, decided in a June 9 board meeting,[253] goes into effect on this date.[255]
2022 November 20 Budget, service hours/frequency/capacity The Bay Area News Group, the publisher of The Mercury News, reports in The Mercury News on federally mandated planning documents prepared by the Bay Area's transit agencies, including BART, obtained by a public records request. According to these documents, the collapse in ridership following the COVID-19 pandemic and the partial nature of post-pandemic recovery may require BART to make significant cuts to service, specifically: "Terminating two of five train lines – Red and Green – meaning no more direct trains from Richmond and Berryessa to San Francisco." An even more extreme scenario is one where "BART cancels its weekend service and shutters nine stations just to keep the lights on elsewhere. Trains run once an hour, instead of every 15 minutes."[256]
2023 May 26 Budget, service hours/frequency/capacity BART releases a statement on BART finances from its Board President Janice Li and General Manager Bob Powers. The statement outlines what "failure" to secure California state funding would look like for BART, as it runs out of one-time federal funds: Trains only once an hour, no trains on weekends, no trains after 9 p.m. on weeknights, reduced service to San Francisco International and Oakland International airports, some stations closed, and entire lines potentially shuttered.[257]
2023 June 28 Budget A $5.1 billion state budget agreement helps BART survive its fiscal cliff for the time being. This includes "$1.1 billion in “flexible” funding over the next four years, money that transit agencies can use for operations or infrastructure." The deal also allows transit agencies to "dip into about $4 billion in state infrastructure assistance to use this money for operations over the next two years."[258]
2023 September 11 Service hours/frequency/capacity BART's new schedule will roll out starting on this day. The change increases frequency along several routes, reduces maximum wait times, and switches to using the new BART train cars (Fleet of the Future) for the base schedule, with the older train cars used only to make up shortfalls when needed.[259][260] BART will also run short trains, claiming that, in addition to saving costs, this enhances safety and cleanliness, as very empty train cars tend to be more subject to issues with safety and cleanliness.[261]
2024 January 1 Fares BART's 5.5% fare increase takes effect on this date. BART also increases its means-tested low-income fare discount from 20% to 50%. The increase had been approved by BART's Board of Directors on June 8, 2023. Moreover, instead of a single 11% increase in January 2024, the plan is to increase fares twice by 5.5%, once in January 2024 and once in January 2025.[262] The fare increase is expected to bring in $26 million more in revenue, which BART claims is crucial for helping it avoid service cuts.[263]

Numerical and visual data

Google Scholar

The following table summarizes per-year mentions on Google Scholar as of December 14, 2021.

Year "Bay Area Rapid Transit"
1975 121
1980 86
1985 60
1990 82
1995 113
2000 158
2005 274
2010 371
2015 407
2020 412
Bay Area Rapid Transit gscho.png

Overall ridership

The image below shows BART average weekday, Saturday, and Sunday ridership by month from January 2001 to March 2018. Traffic is highest on weekdays, lower on Saturdays, and even lower on Sundays. The referenced source will update the graph every month; the version shown below does not auto-update.[264]

BART ridership.png

Ridership to Embarcadero, the busiest station

The image below shows BART ridership to and from Embarcadero: average weekday, Saturday, and Sunday ridership values by month from January 2001 to May 2017. Traffic is highest on weekdays, lower on Saturdays, and even lower on Sundays. Traffic to Embarcadero is a little higher than traffic from Embarcadero for any given month and day type, but differences between type of day dominate entry/exit differences. The referenced source will update the graph every month; the version shown below does not auto-update.[265]

BART ridership to Embarcadero.png

Wikipedia pageviews

The image below shows pageviews of the Wikipedia page Bay Area Rapid Transit from December 2007 to January 2021 on desktop, and from July 2015 to January 2021 on mobile web, mobile app, desktop spider, and mobile web spider. The image will not auto-update with data for new months; you can visit the source page to get up-to-date data.[266]

BART wv.jpeg

Google Trends

The comparative chart below shows Google Trends data (United States) for Bay Area Rapid Transit (Transit line) and New York City Subway (Mass transportation system) from January 2004 to February 2021, when the screenshot was taken.[267]

Bay area gtrends.jpeg

The image below shows Google Trends data for just one week, with times shown in Pacific Time (the local timezone for BART). Relative interest appears to peak in the evenings, around 5 PM.[268]

BART Google trends one week.png

Google Ngram Viewer

The chart below shows Google Ngram Viewer data for Bay Area Rapid Transit, from 1957 to 2019.[269]

Bart ngram.jpeg

Feedback and comments

The timeline was posted in the following Facebook groups: Fans of BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit [1]

Feedback for the timeline can be provided at the following places:

  • FIXME

See also

References

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  2. Emperor Norton (January 6, 1872). "Emperor Norton Bridge Proclamation I". Pacific Appeal. Retrieved June 3, 2017. 
  3. Emperor Norton (March 23, 1872). "Emperor Norton Second Bridge Proclamation". Pacific Appeal. Retrieved June 3, 2017. 
  4. Emperor Norton. "Emperor Norton Transbay Tube Declaration". Pacific Appeal. 
  5. "Two Bay Area Bridges". U.S. Department of Transportation. January 18, 2005. Archived from the original on November 1, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2008. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 J. Allen Whitt. "Urban Elites and Mass Transportation: The Dialectics of Power, Page 42". 
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