Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a heavy rail rapid transit system in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, United States. With average weekday ridership around 0 passengers in , BART is the seventh busiest rapid transit system in the United States.[1] BART is administered by the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, a special district government agency formed by Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties.
BART has 50 stations: 19 on the surface, 15 elevated, and 16 underground (i.e. subway).[2] 22 stations are in Alameda County, 12 are in Contra Costa, and 8 are in San Francisco. 6 stations are in San Mateo County and 2 are in Santa Clara County; those counties are not part of the BART special district, but contribute to operations funding. As of , has the highest ridership and has the lowest. Every day before 9 pm, BART trains run on five principal routes; four are transbay routes connecting San Francisco to Oakland and various destinations in the East Bay, while the Orange Line runs exclusively in the East Bay. The Green and Red lines do not run after 9 pm, but all stations remain accessible by transfers via other routes.
BART's first route between and , the Orange Line, opened in September 1972; it was extended to in January 1973. Service began between and on the Yellow Line in May 1973, and between and in November 1973. The original system was completed in September 1974 when the underwater Transbay Tube and opened. BART's three routes then were the Orange, Yellow, and Green lines. opened as an infill station in 1976, and direct Richmond–Daly City service began operating that year.[3]
The Yellow Line was extended to in 1995, and to and in 1996. BART's fifth route, the Blue Line, began service with a new branch to in 1997. The San Mateo County line was extended south from Colma to and in 2003.[3] A second infill station, , opened in 2011. The automated guideway transit (AGT) Oakland Airport Connector opened in 2014 to serve Oakland International Airport.[4] BART service was extended south from Fremont to in 2017, then to in 2020. A diesel multiple unit feeder service, eBART, opened from Pittsburg/Bay Point to in 2018. Several additional stations, including a subway through San Jose to , are planned or proposed.
Services
BART operates five named and interlined heavy rail services plus one separate automated guideway line. All of the heavy rail services run through Oakland, and all but the Orange Line run through the Transbay Tube to San Francisco. All five services run until 9 pm; only three services operate evenings after 9 pm, as well as some Sundays during maintenance work. All stations are served during all service hours.[5] The eastern segment of the , between Antioch and the transfer platform east of Pittsburg/Bay Point, uses different rolling stock and is separated from the rest of the line.
Unlike most other rapid transit and rail systems around the world, BART lines were not primarily referred to by shorthand designations or their color names (although the colors used on maps have been constant since 1980). The services were mainly identified on maps, schedules, and station signage by the names of their termini. However, the new fleet displays line colors more prominently, and BART has begun to use color names in press releases and GTFS data.[6][7] In 2022, BART formally announced on Twitter they were using colors on the line map and officially.[8]
| Route name | First service | Termini | Service times | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 11, 1972 | Operates during all service hours. | ||||
| May 21, 1973 | or (after 9pm) | Operates during all service hours. Daytime service terminates at SFO, while evening (after 9 pm) service terminates at Millbrae. | |||
| November 16, 1974 | No evening (after 9 pm) service. | ||||
| April 19, 1976 | No evening (after 9 pm) service. | ||||
| May 10, 1997 | Operates during all service hours. | ||||
| November 22, 2014 | Operates during all service hours. | ||||
Stations
BART has 50 passenger stations, of which 47 are high-platform rapid transit stations. is served by the Oakland Airport Connector, which uses cable-hauled automated guideway transit (AGT) rolling stock; has separate platforms for rapid transit trains and AGT trains. and have low platforms for use with the diesel multiple unit (DMU) trains used on that section of the line. A transfer platform east of , which does not have street access and is not designated as a unique station, provides cross-platform transfers between the rapid transit and DMU sections of the line.[citation needed]
Seven stations are designated as transfer points between services; timed cross-platform transfers are available between the Orange and Yellow lines at (southbound) and (northbound). Nine stations are the terminal of one or more services; is also a transfer station. Ten stations have connections available to other rail services – Amtrak, Caltrain, Muni Metro, and VTA light rail. All stations are served during all operating hours.[citation needed]
| ^ | Transfer stations within the BART system |
| ^† | Transfer stations that are also line termini |
| † | Line termini |
| Stations with connections to other rail systems |
| Station | Image | Line(s) | Connections | Location | Opened[3] | Ridership | Parking spaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Oakland | September 11, 1972 | |||||
| — | San Francisco | November 5, 1973 | |||||
| ^ | — | Oakland | September 11, 1972 | ||||
| — | San Francisco | November 5, 1973 | |||||
| † | † | — | Antioch | May 26, 2018 | |||
| — | Berkeley | January 29, 1973 | |||||
| ^ | Muni Metro: | San Francisco | November 5, 1973 | ||||
| ^ | — | San Leandro | September 11, 1972 | ||||
| — | Berkeley | January 29, 1973 | |||||
| ! scope="row" style="background-color:#CCCCCC" | † | † † | — | San José | June 13, 2020 | |||
| — | Castro Valley | May 10, 1997 | |||||
| Muni Metro: (at surface stops) | San Francisco | November 5, 1973 | |||||
| † | † | Amtrak: | Oakland | September 11, 1972 | |||
| — | Colma | February 24, 1996 | |||||
| — | Concord | May 21, 1973 | |||||
| † | † † | — | Daly City | November 5, 1973 | |||
| † | † | — | Dublin/ | May 10, 1997 | |||
| — | El Cerrito | January 29, 1973 | |||||
| — | El Cerrito | January 29, 1973 | |||||
| Muni Metro: (at surface stops) | San Francisco | May 27, 1976 | |||||
| — | Fremont | September 11, 1972 | |||||
| — | Oakland | September 11, 1972 | |||||
| Muni Metro: (at ) | San Francisco | November 5, 1973 | |||||
| — | Hayward | September 11, 1972 | |||||
| — | Lafayette | May 21, 1973 | |||||
| — | Oakland | September 11, 1972 | |||||
| ^ | — | Oakland | September 11, 1972 | ||||
| † | † | Caltrain | Millbrae | June 22, 2003 | |||
| VTA light rail: | Milpitas | June 13, 2020 | |||||
| Muni Metro: (at surface stops) | San Francisco | November 5, 1973 | |||||
| — | Berkeley | January 29, 1973 | |||||
| — | Concord | December 16, 1995 | |||||
| † | † | OAK | Oakland | November 22, 2014 | |||
| — | Orinda | May 21, 1973 | |||||
| † | — | Pittsburg | December 7, 1996 | ||||
| — | Pittsburg | May 26, 2018 | |||||
| — | Walnut Creek | May 21, 1973 | |||||
| Muni Metro: (at surface stops) (at ) | San Francisco | November 5, 1973 | |||||
| † | † † | Amtrak: , , | Richmond | January 29, 1973 | |||
| — | Oakland | May 21, 1973 | |||||
| — | San Bruno | June 22, 2003 | |||||
| † | † † | SFO | San Mateo County | June 22, 2003 | |||
| — | San Leandro | September 11, 1972 | |||||
| — | Hayward | September 11, 1972 | |||||
| — | South San Francisco | June 22, 2003 | |||||
| — | Union City | September 11, 1972 | |||||
| — | Walnut Creek | May 21, 1973 | |||||
| — | Fremont | March 25, 2017 | |||||
| — | Dublin/ | February 19, 2011 | |||||
| — | Oakland | September 16, 1974 |
Future stations
The four-station Phase II of the Silicon Valley BART extension will add underground stations at , , and in San José, plus the surface-level station; it is planned to open in 2036.[9] An infill station on the Warm Springs extension at is planned to open in 2031.[citation needed] Two additional infill stations–the surface-level on the Silicon Valley extension and the elevated on the Oakland Airport Connector–are proposed but not yet funded or scheduled.[citation needed] Several of these future stations connect with other rail services in the South Bay region, including Altamont Corridor Express, which does not yet have a connection with BART.
| Station | Line(s) | Connections | Location | Planned opening |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Fremont | 2031 | ||
| — | San José | 2036[9] | ||
| VTA light rail: | San José | 2036[9] | ||
| Amtrak: , Caltrain Altamont Corridor Express VTA light rail: California High-Speed Rail | San José | 2036[9] | ||
| † | † † | Amtrak: Caltrain Altamont Corridor Express | Santa Clara | 2036[9] |
| — | Oakland | |||
| — | Milpitas |
References
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report: Fourth Quarter 2019". American Public Transportation Association. February 27, 2020. Archived May 23, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 24, 2020. – via Ridership Report page.
- ^ "System Facts". Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). 2021. Archived 2017-02-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
- ^
- ^ "BART to OAK service opens in time for Thanksgiving travel". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. November 21, 2014. Archived February 22, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ "Schedules". Bay Area Rapid Transit District. Archived January 20, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- ^ "New Train Car Project". Bay Area Rapid Transit District. Archived February 13, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
- ^ "February 11 schedule change impacts weekdays and Sundays". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. January 15, 2019. Archived May 9, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "BART's New Map Uses Colorful Names for Its Lines". Funcheap. Archived 2023-04-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ^ Greschler, Gabriel (October 4, 2023). "San Jose BART extension will take 10 years longer than expected — at more than double the cost". The Mercury News. Archived October 5, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
External links
- BART – Stations Archived 2018-06-09 at the Wayback Machine