Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Bay Area Rapid Transit shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Bay Area Rapid Transit offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Bay Area Rapid Transit at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Bay Area Rapid Transit? Wrong! If the Bay Area Rapid Transit is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Bay Area Rapid Transit then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Bay Area Rapid Transit? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Bay Area Rapid Transit and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Bay Area Rapid Transit wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Bay Area Rapid Transit then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Bay Area Rapid Transit site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Bay Area Rapid Transit, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Bay Area Rapid Transit, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{Infobox Public transit|name = Bay Area Rapid Transit|image = Bart-logo.svg|imagesize = 100px|locale = San Francisco Bay Area|began_operation = [September 11, 1972 [public transit rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The acronym BART is pronounced as a word, not as individual letters.

BART today System details BART comprises of track and 43 stations. The system uses a broad gauge, as opposed to the standard gauge predominantly found in the United States. The broad gauge was selected to provide greater stability in part due to the planned Golden Gate Bridge route and to provide wider seats, aisles , and a smoother ride for the lightweight aluminum and fiberglass cars.{{cite web |url = http://homepage.mac.com/s_sloan/twar/ISSUE66/BODY.HTM |title = RE: BART |publisher = Track Warrants |author = |date = May 1997 |accessdate = 2007-01-22 --> Others allege political, regulatory and economic considerations.{{cite web |url = http://groups.google.com/group/ba.transportation/msg/95b6948fbf2e3f53?dmode=source |title = BART weight, gauge & cross winds |publisher = Google Groups: ba.transportation |author = Silas Warner |date = 23 April [ |accessdate = 2007-01-22 --> Some critics point out that the broad gauge has very little technical merit, but does act as a very effective barrier to use for any other rail system, freight or passenger. {{cite web |url = http://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/history/ikb/broad |title = Broad Gauge Trilogy |publisher = Brunel University West London |author = Syd Urry |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> However, Variable gauge axles would allow both passenger trains and freight trains built to the Loading gauge to run on both Rail gauge.

Most heavy and light rail systems in North America operate with lightweight cars on standard gauge track (some exceptions: Market–Frankford Line & Toronto subway and RT). The non-standard gauge makes new fleet procurement extremely expensive because the trains (and even the track-building equipment) must be custom-built instead of using common designs for standard gauge ; for example, it is 40 percent less expensive to procure a TGV trainset (which includes additional amenities such as restrooms and a cafe) than it is to procure a proprietary BART trainset of the same capacity.{{cite news |url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/10/10/BA108146.DTL |title = BART thinks to future $2.5 billion estimate to keep up with riders |publisher = The San Francisco Chronicle |author = Michael Cabanatuan |date = 10 October [ |accessdate = 2007-01-07 -->

Trains can achieve a centrally-controlled maximum speed of and provide a systemwide average speed of with twenty-second station dwell times. Trains operate at a minimum length of three cars per California Public Utilities Commission guidelines to a maximum length of 10 cars, spanning the entire length of a platform.{{cite web |url = http://groups.google.com/group/ba.transportation/browse_frm/thread/2b50a587214ace23/5be1c19d04ad4b06 |title = BART Train length |publisher = Google Groups: ba.transportation |author = |date = 3 July [ |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> At its maximum length of {{ft to m|710-->, BART has the longest train length of any metro system in the United States. The system also features car widths of {{ft to m|10.5-->, a maximum gradient of 4%, and a minimum curve radius of {{ft to m|394-->.{{cite book| author=Paul Garbutt | title=World Metro Systems | chapter=Facts and Figures | publisher=Capital Transport | year=1997 | id=ISBN 1854141910 | pages=130-131-->

system. Notice how the rail changes location relative to the train upon entering the station and the crossover walkway crossing the trackway. Notice the walkway on the left side of the trackway in the distance, which is the emergency walkway for the aerial trackway leading into the Daly City station – again, the third rail positioned opposite of this walkway.Electric current is delivered to the trains over a third rail, the position of which alternates relative to the context of the train. Inside stations, the third rail is always on the side furthest away from the passenger platforms. This design feature eliminates the danger of a passenger either falling directly on the third rail, or stepping onto it to climb back to the platform should they fall off . On ground-level trackways, the third rail alternates from one side of the track to the other, providing breaks in the third rail to allow for emergency evacuations across trackways.

Underground tunnels, aerial structures and the transbay tube have evacuation walkways and passageways to allow for train evacuation without exposing passengers to easy, inadvertent contact with the third rail, which is located as far away from these walkways as possible. The voltage over the third rail is 1,000 V Direct current; as a result, there are notices throughout the system warning passengers of its danger. In addition, BART posts notices inside each train car warning of the third rail and the four paddle-like rail contact shoes protruding from the underside of each car by the rail wheel trucks.

Many of the original system 1970s era BART stations especially the aerial stations feature simplistic Brutalist architecture.

Hours of operation and frequencies The BART system consists of five lines, but most of the network consists of more than one line on the same track. Trains on each line typically run every fifteen minutes on weekdays and twenty minutes during the evenings, weekends and holidays; however, since a given station might be served by as many as four lines, it could have service as frequently as every three to four minutes. As of 2006, BART service begins around 4:00 a.m. on weekdays, 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays, and 8:00 a.m. on Sundays. Service ends every day near midnight with station closings timed to the last train at station. Two of the five lines, the Richmond - Daly City Line and Fremont - Daly City Line lines, do not have night (after 7 p.m.) or Sunday service, but all stations remain accessible by transfer from the other lines.{{cite web |url = http://www.bart.gov/guide/overview/hours.asp |title = BART Service Hours, Holiday Schedule |publisher = BART |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> All-Nighter Network service is available when BART is closed. All but six BART stations are served (as well as eight Caltrain stations). BART tickets are not accepted on these buses, and each of the four bus systems charge their own fare, which can be up to $3.50; a four-system ride can cost as much as $9.50 as of 2007.{{cite web |url = http://transit.511.org/providers/night.asp |title = All Nighter Bus Service |publisher = 511 SF Bay Area Travel Guide |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-05-17 -->

Current lines ]

Unlike most other rapid transit and rail systems around the world, BART lines are generally not referred to by shorthand designations. Although the lines have been colored consistently on BART system maps for more than a decade, they are only occasionally referred to officially by color names, and only rarely referred to in this way by members of the public (e.g., the “Red Line”).{{cite web |url = http://www.bart.gov/news/press/news20061221a.asp |title = BART to run on Sunday schedule Christmas Day |publisher = BART |author = |date = 21 December [ |accessdate = 2007-01-22 --> Each line is generally identified on maps and schedules by the names of its termini (''e.g''., “''Richmond – Daly City Line''”). Although terminal stations have seldom changed over the years, referring to routes by termini has contributed to rider confusion, as each incremental onward extension changes the line name.

. Note the extremely long destination displayed on the sign: SFO AIRPORT / SF /DUBLIN PLEASTNTrains are merely referred to by their destination or destinations by train operators and BART personnel (for example, “Richmond train” or “Richmond-bound train”). Electronic destination signs add “San Francisco” to the destination of any westbound transbay train or eastbound train west of San Francisco to make it clear that it will be passing through the city, and “SFO Airport” (or just “SFO”) is added to any train going to the airport. This can cause quite cumbersome destination descriptions, such as “San Francisco/Daly City train”, “San Francisco/SFO Airport/Millbrae train”, and “San Francisco/Pittsburg/Bay Point train.” Perhaps the longest such description is for trains leaving Millbrae, which say “SFO Airport/San Francisco/Dublin/Pleasanton.” With the exception of the front car electronically flashing the destination, the rest of the exterior of the fleet does not provide obvious indication regarding the line to which the car belongs. Cars from various rail yards throughout the system are intermingled to form a train. However, newer legacy cars that have not undergone refurbishment may have a diminutive color decal that indicates its car number and its historical line membership. Since all station platforms are equipped with displays indicating the destination of each train, as well as voice announcements as trains approach the station and begin boarding, this does not pose a big problem.

BART makes aggressive use of interlining, where multiple lines merge and share the same stations and tracks. Four lines share the Transbay Tube, all San Francisco stations, the Daly City Station and West Oakland Station. As a result, there are times of significant congestion during peak hours as multiple lines vie for shared resources. Only a maximum frequency of 4½ trains per hour per line can be achieved after headways and dwell times are accounted for. The lack of passing tracks or sidings throughout this quadruple-interlining section makes for very challenging recoveries from traffic delays. San Francisco- and Peninsula-bound trains from the East Bay must ensure that proper sequencing is maintained prior to entering the merged section for operations to remain smooth and without significant delays.

Defunct lines In 1996 when the Interstate 680/California State Route 24 interchange in Walnut Creek was overhauled for construction, BART added temporary commuter train service during rush hours, which ran between South Hayward (BART station) and Concord (BART station) stations. The service ceased when the interchange was finished.

At the time when the #San Francisco International Airport extension opened on June 22, 2003, there was a Millbrae - SFO Line, a shuttle line that operated every 20 minutes between Millbrae (BART station) and San Francisco Airport (BART station), formerly depicted as a purple line. This line has been defunct as of February 2004. It has since been replaced by the Dublin/Pleasanton - Millbrae line that stops at SFO Station on its way to Millbrae. As of the latest service changes approved by BART's board, this service will be completely eliminated; passengers traveling from points south to the airport would have to board a train at Millbrae, travel to San Bruno (BART station), and then take a different train back to the airport.http://www.examiner.com/a-801359~BART_to_halt_Millbrae_SFO_direct_service.html

Rolling stock BART operates four types of cars, built from three separate orders. The A cars and the B cars were built from 1968 to 1971 by Rohr, Inc., an aerospace manufacturing company which had only recently made its foray into mass-transit equipment manufacturing, touting yet untested space-age design techniques. The A cars were designed as leading or trailing cars only, with a fiberglass operator's cab housing train control equipment and BART's two-way communication system. The A cars are distinguished by their aerodynamic leading edge extending longer than their B- and C-car siblings. The A car can comfortably seat 72 passengers, and under crush load, 150 passengers. B cars have no operator's cab and are used in the middle of trains to carry passengers only; B cars have the same passenger capacity as the A cars. Currently, BART operates 137 A cars and 303 B cars. BART's livery has remained effectively unchanged throughout its history.

The C cars were built by Alstom between 1987 and 1989. The C cars have a similar fiberglass operator's cab and control and communications equipment as the A cars, but unlike A cars, do not have the aerodynamic nose design, thus allowing them to be used as middle cars as well. The dual purpose of the C cars allows faster train-size changes without having to move the train to a switching yard. C cars can comfortably seat 64 (4 seats were lost compared to the A/B cars by eliminating one row of seats to accommodate the operator’s cab and 4 additional seats were lost by eliminating one pair of seats next to the left-side forward door on each side to provide space for wheelchairs) and under crush load accommodate 150 passengers. The latest order, from Morrison-Knudsen (now Washington Group International), was for C2 cars, which are essentially the same as C cars, but feature an updated, third-generation interior with a blue/gray motif, in contrast to the previous blue and brown colors. C2 cars have flip-up seats near the left-side forward door to accommodate passengers in wheelchairs, and red lights on posts near the door to warn the hearing-impaired when the doors are about to close. C2 cars can comfortably seat 68 passengers (including the flip-up seats), and under crush load can carry 150 passengers. Since the purchase of C2s, the original C cars are also referred to as C1 cars. Currently, BART operates 150 C1 cars and 80 C2 cars.

In 1995, BART contracted with ADtranz (acquired by Bombardier Transportation in 2001) to refurbish and overhaul the 439 original Rohr A- and B-cars, updating the old vintage brown fabric seats to the less-toxic and easier-to-clean , light-blue polyurethane seats in use today and bringing the cars in general to the same level of interior amenities as the C2 fleet. The seven-year project was completed 2002. All BART cars have upholstered seats and nearly all cars have carpeting except for one that is being used on a trial to accommodate bicycles and other maintenance purposes. Because one of the original design goals was for all BART riders to be seated, the older cars have fewer provisions such as grab bars for standing passengers. Newer cars are more accommodating in this area; however, unlike many other urban transit systems, hand straps are not found on BART trains. Flip-up seats (found in C2 cars) were excluded from the refurbishment (reducing seating capacity from 72 to 68), in order to provide designated areas for luggage, wheelchairs and bicycles. Consequently, the original C (or C1) cars have the oldest interior design, as they have not been refurbished and were not purchased recently enough to have the "newer" convenience features; for example, they lack vertical grab bars in the middle of the car and do not have the in-post red lights to warn of closing doors.

The A, B, and C cars were all given 3-digit numbers originally, but when refurbished 1000 was added to the number of each individual A/B car (e.g. car 433 would become 1433). The C2 cars are numbered in the 2500 series; the C/C1 cars still have 3-digit numbers.

tracks.The cars, which all have just two doors on each side, often cause extended wait times at stations as passengers must negotiate groups of standees in order to exit or enter the train. To speed up service, BART has considered introducing new, three-door cars.{{cite news |url = http://www.masstransitmag.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=151 |title = BART Needs to Replace its Fleet |publisher = Mass Transit Magazine |author = Mike Adamick |date = 12 January [ |accessdate = 2007-01-07 -->

Governance The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District is a special governmental agency created by the State of California consisting of Alameda County, California, Contra Costa County, California, and the San Francisco, California. San Mateo County, California, which hosts six BART stations, is not part of the BART District as its voters opted to exclude itself in the 1960s. It is governed by an elected Board of Directors with each of the nine directors representing a specific geographic area within the BART district. BART has its own BART Police force.

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

However, some cities and towns are near enough to cities with BART stations that residents commute via a bus or car to the nearest BART station. Emeryville, California, for instance, has no BART service, but has a free shuttle service, the Emery-Go-Round, that takes passengers to the nearby MacArthur (BART station) station. For those wishing to drive their cars to the stations instead, many BART stations offer many kinds of parking options.{{cite news |url = http://bart.gov/guide/parking/overview.asp |title = BART parking overview |publisher = BART |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 -->

Cost and budget BART's initial cost was $1.6 billion, which included both the initial system and the Transbay Tube. Adjusted for inflation, this cost would be valued at $15 billion in 2004.

In 2005, BART required nearly $300 million in subsidies after fares. About 37% of the costs went to maintenance, 29% to actual transportation operations, 24% to general administration, 8% to police services, and 4% to construction and engineering. In 2005, 53% of the budget was derived from fares, 32% from taxes, and 15% from other sources, including advertising, station retail space leasing, and parking fees.{{cite paper | author = | title = BART 2005 Annual Report | version = | publisher = | url = http://www.bart.gov/docs/AR2005.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate = -->{{cite paper |url = http://www.bart.gov/docs/AR2005.txt |title = BART 2005 Annual Report |publisher = BART.gov |format = TXT |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> BART's [farebox recovery ratio of 53% is considered very high for a US public transit agency operating over such long distances with high frequency. It is often favorably compared to the ratio of the nearby [Caltrain diesel commuter rail operation and is presented as an argument for an extension of BART all around the [San Francisco Bay Area. However, much of it has to do with BART's fare structure, and lack of unlimited use pass.

Fares Fares on BART are comparable to those of commuter rail systems and are higher than those of most metros, especially for long trips. The fare is based on a formula that takes into account both the length and speed of the trip. A surcharge is added for trips traveling through the Transbay Tube, to San Francisco International Airport, or through San Mateo County, California, which is not a BART member. Historically and up until only recently, passengers have used refillable paper-plastic-composite tickets, on which fares are stored via a magnetic strip, to enter and exit the system (a similar magnetic strip ticketing system is used on the Washington Metro in Washington, D.C). The exit faregate prints the remaining balance on the ticket each time the passenger exits the station. A paper ticket can be refilled at a ticket machine, the remaining balance on any ticket can be applied towards the purchase of a new one, or a card is simply captured by the exit gate when the balance reaches zero; multiple low value cards can be combined to create a larger value card, but only at specific ticket exchange locations which are located on some BART stations.{{cite web |url = http://www.bart.gov/tickets/sales/refunds.asp |title = BART – ticket refunds and exchanges |publisher = BART |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-22 --> BART relies on unused ticket values, particularly of patrons discarding low-value cards, as a source of revenue, approximated by some to be as high as $9.9 million. {{cite news |url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/12/06/DD140623.DTL |title = Tiny Tickets Ha Ha Ha Ha |publisher = The San Francisco Chronicle |author = Jon Carroll |date = 6 December [ |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> A trial program using thin refillable plastic farecards valid for many rides, called the TransLink (San Francisco) smart card, is currently in underway, with system wide rollout expected in 2007. The program was launched to the public in fall 2006 with rollout on AC Transit, Dumbarton Express, and Golden Gate Transit lines. The cards are not expected to be fully implemented on BART until sometime in 2007.{{cite news |url = http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/othercities/sanjose/stories/2006/01/09/story6.html |title = TransLink program again tries to unify Bay Area transit fares |publisher = Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal |author = Andrew F. Hamm |date = 06 January [ |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> {{cite web |url = http://www.translink.org/whereCanIuseTranslink.do |title = TransLink – where can I use TransLink? |publisher = TransLink |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 -->

The BART minimum fare of $1.40 is charged for trips under , such as a trip between two adjacent Berkeley stations.{{cite web |url = http://bart.gov/stations/quickplanner/schedule.asp?origin=BRK&format=quick&destination=NBRK&trip_mode=undefined&time_mode=departs&depart_month=6&depart_date=12&return_page=/index.asp&depart_time=2%3A30+PM&new=yes&dhtml=true |title = QuickPlanner >> Results between Downtown Berkeley and North Berkeley |publisher = BART |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> The maximum one-way fare including all possible surcharges is $7.65, the journey between Pittsburg/Bay Point and San Francisco International Airport (BART station). The furthest possible trip, from Pittsburg/Bay Point to Millbrae, costs less because of the additional charge added to airport trips.{{cite web |url = http://bart.gov/stations/quickplanner/schedule.asp?origin=BAYPT&format=quick&destination=SFIA&trip_mode=undefined&time_mode=departs&depart_month=12&depart_date=5&return_page=/index.asp&depart_time=2%3A30+PM&new=yes&dhtml=true |title = QuickPlanner >> Results between Pittsburg/Bay Pointe and SFO |publisher = BART |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> Passengers without sufficient fare to complete their journey must use an AddFare machine to pay the remaining balance in order to exit the station. Because of the amount of the base fare, traveling between BART stations in downtown San Francisco on BART is 10 cents cheaper than the city's own light rail system, the MUNI Metro, which is generally slower in covering the same distance. However, MUNI permits around two full hours of riding, including transfers to other MUNI vehicles, whereas BART charges $1.40 for a single journey. There are various quirks in the fare system due to a subsidy being provided to riders traveling between some outlying stations. For example, for a trip from Dublin/Pleasanton to Fremont (BART), it is less expensive to exit the station at the transfer point, Bay Fair (BART), and re-enter the station, instead of staying on the platform, because you would get charged two $1.40 base fares instead of a $3.90 fare from end to end.

BART uses a system of five different color-coded tickets for regular fare, special fare, and discount fare to select groups as follows:{{cite news |url = http://bart.gov/tickets/types/types.asp |title = BART Ticket Types |publisher = BART |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 -->



Unlike most transit systems in the United States, but like the Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore), BART does not have an unlimited ride pass available and riders must pay for each ride they take. The only discount provided to the public is a 6.25% discount when "high value tickets" are purchased with fare values of $48 and $64, for prices of $45 and $60 respectively. Capitol Corridor trains sell $10 BART tickets on-board in the café cars for only $8,{{cite paper |url = http://www.capitolcorridor.org/included/docs/ccjpa/ride_guide.pdf |title = Capitol Corridor Ride Guide |publisher = The Capitol Corridor |format = PDF |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> {{cite web |url = http://www.capitolcorridor.org/schedules/transit_connections/BART_connections.php |title = The Capitol Corridor: BART Connections |publisher = The Capitol Corridor |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> resulting in a 20% discount. A 62.5% discount is provided to seniors, the disabled, and children age 5 to 12. Middle and high school students 13 to 18 may obtain a 50% discount if their school participates in the BART program; however, these tickets are intended to be used only between the students' home station and the school's station and for transportation to and from school events. However, these intended limitations are not enforced in any way and students are expected to behave on the honor system. The tickets are only usable on weekdays, a restriction that is enforced by the faregates. BART Plus tickets enjoy a last-ride bonus where if the remaining value is greater than $.05, the ticket can be used one last time for a trip of any distance. Most special discounted tickets must be purchased at selected vendors and not at ticket machines. The Bart Plus tickets can be purchased at the ticket machines. In particular, the middle and high school tickets are usually sold at the schools themselves.

Family members of BART employees, however, receive special BART passes and can ride free-of-charge upon showing their pass and photo identification to the BART station attendant. Employees of airlines that take BART to work at San Francisco International Airport receive a fare discount of 25%, but non-airline employees who do the same receive no discount.

Fares are enforced by the station agent, who monitors activity at the fare gates adjacent to the window and at other fare gates through closed circuit television and faregate status screens located in the agent's booth. All stations are staffed with at least one agent at all times. Despite this, fare fraud occasionally occurs, usually as a result of people entering and exiting through the emergency exit gate, which are permitted for non-emergency use by passengers with bikes, in wheelchairs, and carrying luggage. It also occurs using elevators, which in some stations lead from the ticketed area to the unticketed area.

There is little fare coordination between BART and surrounding agencies. Some agencies accept the BART Plus pass, which at a fee of between $38 and $71 per month, permits pass holders to use BART and connecting buses. Most notably, AC Transit dropped out of the program due to the small amount of reimbursement they received from BART. Another fare coordination program permits adult monthly pass holders of the San Francisco Municipal Railway to ride BART trains within the City of San Francisco for free (with no credit applied to trips outside the City). The City pays BART $.87 for each trip taken under this arrangement.{{cite paper| url = http://www.bart.gov/docs/Draft_FY06_SRTP_CIP.pdf | title = Short range transit plan & capital improvement program (FY06 through FY15) | format = PDF | publisher = BART | date = November 2005 | accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> For riders who do not hold such passes, there is generally only a token discount ($.25 to $.50) provided to passengers transferring to and from trains to other transit modes. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority does honor BART transfers for a local fare credit ($.50 to $1.75) towards the 120, 140, and 180 trans-county express lines departing the Fremont BART station, but all riders are required to disembark in Santa Clara County. There is no credit applied when traveling towards the Fremont BART Station.

Proposals to simplify the fare structure abound. At one extreme, a flat fare that disregards distance has been proposed by BART director Joel Keller. The lesser extreme involves the implementation of a simplified structure that would create fare bands or zones. The implementation of either scheme would demote the use of distance-based fares and shift the fare-box recovery burden to the urban riders in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley and away from the suburban riders of East Contra Costa, Southern Alameda, and San Mateo Counties, where density is lowest, and consequently, operational cost is highest.{{cite web |url = http://www.ibabuzz.com/transportation/2006/09/19/todays-free-lecture-fare-idea-falls-flat |title = Today’s free lecture: fare idea falls flat |publisher = Inside Bay Area |author = |date = 19 September [ |accessdate = 2007-01-22 -->

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

As a first-generation system, BART's automation system was plagued with numerous operational problems during its first years of service. Shortly before revenue service began, an on-board electronics failure caused one empty 2-car test train, dubbed the Fremont Flyer, to run off the end of the platform at its Fremont (BART station) into a parking lot, though there were no injuries.{{cite web |url = http://www.pushback.com/Wattenburg/bio/BART.html |title = BART—Bay Area Rapid Transit System (1972–74) |publisher = PushBack.com |author = Bill Wattenburg |date = 11 October [ |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> When revenue service began, "ghost trains", trains that show up on the computer system as being in a specific place but don't physically exist, were common, and real trains could at times disappear from the system, as a result of dew on the tracks and too low of a voltage (at 0.6 volts rather than the industry standard 15 volts) being passed through the rails for train detection. Under such circumstances, trains had to be operated manually and were restricted to a speed of .

The signaling technology used to control the trains is SelTrac, a product of Alcatel.

During this initial shakedown period, there were several episodes where trains had to be manually run and signaled via station agents communicating by telephone. This caused a great outcry in the press and led to a flurry of litigation among Westinghouse Electric (1886), the original controls contractor, and BART, as well as public battles between the California (advised by University of California professor Dr. Bill Wattenburg), the United States, and the district, but in time these problems were resolved and BART became a reliable service. Ghost trains apparently still persist on the system to this day and are usually cleared quickly enough to avoid significant delay, but occasionally some can cause an extended backup of manually operated trains in the system.{{cite news |url = http://www.foxreno.com/news/4204326/detail.html |title = 'Ghost Train,' Malfunctions Causing BART Delays |publisher = FOXReno.com |author = [Bay City News |date = 16 February [ |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> In addition, the fare card system was easily hackable with equipment commonly found in universities, although most of these flaws have been fixed.{{cite web |url = http://www.pushback.com/Wattenburg/bio/BART.html |title = Magnetic Credit Cards |publisher = PushBack.com |author = Peter Sheerin |date = 11 October [ |accessdate = 2007-01-18 -->

Connecting rail and bus transit services BART has direct connections to two regional rail services – Caltrain, which provides service between San Francisco, San Jose, California, and Gilroy, California, at the Millbrae Station, and Amtrak's Capitol Corridor, which runs from Sacramento, California to San Jose, at the Richmond Station (California) and Oakland Coliseum Amtrak/BART Station stations. A third Capitol Corridor connection at the Union City (BART station) station is planned as part of a larger Dumbarton Rail Corridor Project to connect Union City, Fremont, California, and Newark, California to various San Francisco Peninsula destinations via the Dumbarton Bridge (California).{{cite web |url = http://www.smcta.com/Dumbarton_Rail/information.asp |title = Dumbarton Rail Corridor |publisher = San Mateo County Transit Authority |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> BART is the managing agency for the Capitol Corridor until 2010.{{cite web |url = http://www.bart.gov/news/press/news20050228.asp |title = BART again selected as managing agency for Capitol Corridor |publisher = BART |author = |date = 28 February [ |accessdate = 2007-01-07 -->

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

A number of bus services connect to BART, which, while managed by separate agencies, are integral to the successful functioning of the system. The primary providers include the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni), Alameda-Contra Costa Transit (AC Transit), San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans), County Connection (County Connection), and the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (Golden Gate Transit). Until 1997, BART ran its own "BART Express" connector buses,{{cite web |url = http://www.all-transit.com/rosters/bart-r-2.htm |title = Bart Express Connecting Bus Service |publisher = ALL-Transit.com |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> which ran to eastern Alameda County and far eastern and western areas of Contra Costa County; these routes were later devolved to sub-regional transit agencies such as Tri-Delta Transit and the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (WHEELS (California)) or, in the case of Dublin/Pleasanton service, replaced by a full BART extension.

BART is connected to Oakland International Airport via AirBART shuttle buses, which bring travelers to and from the Coliseum/Oakland Airport BART station. These buses are operated by BART and accept exact-change BART fare cards in addition to exact change. BART also connects to the San Francisco International Airport, though in this case the train actually enters the airport directly and no shuttle is necessary, although connections are available to AirTrain (SFO) for those not departing or arriving from the international terminal.

Other services connect to BART including the Emery Go Round (Emeryville, California), WestCat (north-western Contra Costa County), Benicia Transit (Benicia, California), Union City Transit (Union City, California), and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA, in Silicon Valley).

The bus service connecting the University of California, Berkeley to the Berkeley, California BART station was once called Humphrey Go-BART, a spoonerism of the famous actor and director Humphrey Bogart. It has since been replaced by a number of regular AC Transit bus routes and shuttle bus routes operated by the university.

Other connecting services BART hosts Car Sharing locations at many stations, a program pioneered by City CarShare. Riders can transfer from BART, and complete their journeys by car. BART has started to offer long-term airport parking through a third party vendor{{cite web |url = http://www.bart.gov/guide/parking/longterm.asp |title = Long-Term Parking for Travelers |publisher = BART |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> at most East Bay stations. Travelers must make an on-line reservation in advance and pay the daily fee of $5.00 before they can leave their cars at the BART parking lot.

Casual carpooling have formed at North Berkeley station and the area around El Cerrito Del Norte station. The lots are convenient since most carpoolers use public transit back to their final destination. However, because of how BART charges for parking, passengers cannot park at most BART lots without paying a fare.

BART history Origins and planning The idea of an underwater electric rail tube was first proposed in the early 1900s by Francis "Borax" Smith. It is no coincidence that much of BART's current coverage area was once served by the electrified streetcar and suburban train network called the Key System. This early twentieth century system once had regular trans-bay traffic across the lower deck of the Bay Bridge. By the 1950s the entire system had been dismantled in favor of automobiles and buses and the explosive growth of highway construction.

Proposals for the modern rapid transit system now in service began in 1946 by Bay Area business leaders concerned with increased post-war migration and growing congestion in the region. An Army-Navy task force concluded that an additional trans-bay crossing would soon be needed recommending a tunnel; however, it was not until the 1950s that the actual planning for a rapid transit system would begin. In 1951, California's legislature created the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Commission to study the Bay Area's long term transportation needs. The commission's 1957 final report concluded the most cost effective solution for the Bay Area's traffic woes would be to form a transit district charged with the construction and operation of a high-speed rapid rail system linking the cities and suburbs. Nine Bay Area counties were included in the initial planning commission.{{cite web |url = http://www.bart.gov/about/history/history_1.asp |title = History of BART (1946-1972) |publisher = BART |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 -->

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District was formed by the state legislature in 1957, comprising the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin County, California, San Francisco, and San Mateo County, California. Because Santa Clara County, California opted instead to first concentrate on its Santa Clara County Expressway System, that county was not included in the original BART District.

By 1961, a final plan for the new system was sent to the boards of supervisors of each of the five counties. The system's initial plans were for four lines connecting Concord, California in the east, Richmond, California in the north-east, Fremont, California in the south-east, Palo Alto, California in the south-west, and Novato, California in the north-west. However, in April 1962 San Mateo County made the decision to opt out, citing high costs, existing service provided by Southern Pacific Railroad commuter trains, and concerns over shoppers leaving their county for stores in San Francisco. Marin County followed soon thereafter in May, citing engineering reports concluding the Golden Gate Bridge may not be capable of rail traffic, and the much higher cost of an undersea alternative.{{cite news |url = http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/bart/10597476.htm |title = History of BART to the South Bay |publisher = the San Jose Mercury News |author = |date = 08 January [ |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> The BART plans were finally approved by the voters of each participating county in 1962.

In the 1980s planning was underway for extension south from San Francisco, the first step being the Daly City Tailtrack Project, upon which turnaround project the San Francisco Airport Extension would later buildC. M. Hogan, Kay Wilson, M. Papineau et al, Environmental Impact Statement for the BART Daly City Tailtrack Project, Earth Metrics, published by the U.S Urban Mass Transit Administration and the Bay Area Rapid Transit District 1984

Construction of the initial system BART construction officially began on June 19, 1964 with President of the United States Lyndon Johnson presiding over the ground-breaking ceremonies at the test track between Concord, California and Walnut Creek, California in Contra Costa County, California.

The enormous tasks to be undertaken were daunting. System wide projects would include the construction of three underground rail stations in Oakland's populated downtown area, four stations through San Francisco’s downtown beneath Market Street, three subterranean stations in Berkeley, California (which paid more to bury them, in contrast to the stations in neighboring Oakland and El Cerrito), the tunnel through the Berkeley Hills; and of course the Transbay Tube between Oakland and San Francisco beneath the San Francisco Bay. Constructed in 57 sections, The Tube is the world's longest and deepest immersed tube and cost $180 million. It was completed in August 1969.

Peter Hall, author of the book Great Planning Disasters, describes BART as one of the sensational planning disasters of the 20th century, alongside the Anglo-French Concorde and the Sydney Opera House.

Operation BART began regular passenger service on September 11 1972, reporting more than 100,000 passengers in its first five days of operations. The Transbay Tube opened two years later on September 16 1974, thus linking each of four branches extending to Daly City, Concord, Richmond, and Fremont.

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake gave BART an unequaled opportunity to shine as a star and major hero during the catastrophe. Transportation between San Francisco and Oakland was affected drastically, with the breakage of a section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the near-total destruction of the Cypress Street Viaduct. With most of the Bay Area's major freeways either heavily damaged or destroyed, BART trains, within six hours of the original earthquake, were again operational effectively becoming the sole mode of transportation throughout the area. Even with routine service interruptions following aftershocks for inspection of tracks, over- and under-crossings, and tunnels, BART remained operational.



Expansion to the original system was made possible by a region-wide agreement under which San Mateo County was to contribute $200 million to East Bay extensions as a “buy-in” to the system without actually joining the BART district. Funds also came from many east county residents who paid into the system for bart for many years. The North-of-Concord extension opened in two phases: service to North Concord/Martinez beginning on December 16 1995, and service to Pittsburg/Bay Point beginning a year later on December 7 1996. The first service south of Daly City Station began on February 24 1996, to Colma Station. A year later on May 10 1997, service began from Bay Fair (BART station) to Castro Valley (BART) and Dublin/Pleasanton.{{cite web |url = http://www.lavta.org/about/history.html |title = The Story of LAVTA and Wheels |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-18 -->" Although the Dublin/Pleasanton extension is now a main trunk line, it was not originally conceived as such, but rather a shuttle service between the Dublin/Pleasanton and Bay Fair stations. {{cite web |url = http://transit-rider.com/ca.bayarea/bart.cfm?id=dublin1 |title = Dublin Line: Castro Valley – Dublin |publisher = Transit-Rider.com |author = |date = |accessdate = 2007-01-07 -->

BART has a unionized work force that went on strike for two weeks in 1976 in solidarity with the BART Police Officers Association. During the 1970s, BART union workers received quarterly cost of living increases. With inflation running in excess of 18%, however, this policy became expensive. In 1979, there was a 90 day lockout by management, or a strike by Union workers, depending on which side one believes. Trains were able to run during this period because one of BART's current Unions, AFSCME, was then only an informal Association known as BARTSPA, and management and BARTSPA had enough staff to keep the trains running. One result of this strike is that the Cost of Living increases were greatly reduced to an amount far below the CPI, and that such raises are only received if no other raise occurs in a particular year.

For six days in 1997, a BART strike caused a complete system-wide shutdown. This resulted in a four year contract offering a 7 percent raise, and a one time payment of $3,000 to all employees in lieu of a raise the first year. Such one time payments are becoming more common as a way to prevent the effects of compounding on wages and salaries.

Unionized BART employees, particularly professionals, saw their wages and standard of living erode during the Silicon Valley economic boom that drove up real estate prices and salaries in the Bay Area in the 1990s. In addition, BART began large scale layoffs of rank and file workers, increasing the workload on those remaining. In its 2001 negotiations, the BART unions fought for, and won, a 24 percent wage increase over four years with continuing benefits for employees and retirees. Another threatened strike on July 6 2005 was averted by a last-minute agreement between management and the unions. In this agreement, Union workers received a 7% raise over four years, and paid an increase in the cost of medical insurance. The net increase (3%) is well below the current rate of inflation, which is about 4% per year (or 16 percent over the four-year contract); and also below the average private sector raise, which was 4.6% for 2006.

In October 2004, BART received the American Public Transportation Association's Outstanding Public Transportation System Award for 2004 in the category of transit systems with 30 million or more annual passenger trips.{{cite web |url = http://www.apta.com/media/releases/awards_04/bart.cfm |title = BART Receives National Recognition As APTA 2004 Outstanding Public Transportation System |publisher = American Public Transportation Association |author = Virginia Miller |date = 10 October [ |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> BART issued announcements and began a promotional campaign declaring that it had been named Number One Transit System in America.{{cite web |url = http://www.bart.gov/news/features/features20040824.asp |title = BART Newsletter: BART named #1 Transit System in US |publisher = BART |author = |date = 24 August [ |accessdate = 2007-01-07 --> In 2006, the same industry trade group presented BART with the token AdWheel award for 'creative approaches to marketing transit' in recognition for BART's development of an iPod-based trip planner.{{cite web |url = http://www.bart.gov/news/features/features20051012.asp |title = Get BART schedules on your iPod |publisher = BART |author = |date = 4 December [ |accessdate = 2007-02-09 -->

Incidents and accidents BART has had relatively few accidents during its nearly four decades of operation. There have been no accidents attributed to brake failure. The following incidents are known to have occurred on the BART system:



{{cite news |url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1999/12/26/SPECIAL10844.dtl |title = Reflections, the 1970's |publisher = the San Francisco Chronicle |author = |date = 26 December [ |accessdate = 2007-01-11 --> Most of the injuries were caused by inhalation of toxic smoke from the burning polyurethane in the seats, leading to a $118,000 replacement program which was completed in November 1980.





 

Bay Area Rapid Transit



 
Copyright © 2008 Hintcenter.com - All rights reserved.
Home | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
All Trademarks belong to their repective owners. Many aspects of this page are used under
commercial commons license from Yahoo!