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 nameFirst serviceTerminiService times
September 11, 1972Operates during all service hours.
May 21, 1973or (after 9pm)Operates during all service hours. Daytime service terminates at SFO, while evening (after 9 pm) service terminates at Millbrae.
November 16, 1974No evening (after 9 pm) service.
April 19, 1976No evening (after 9 pm) service.
May 10, 1997Operates during all service hours.
November 22, 2014Operates 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
StationImageLine(s)ConnectionsLocationOpened[3]RidershipParking
spaces


OaklandSeptember 11, 1972



San FranciscoNovember 5, 1973
^

OaklandSeptember 11, 1972



San FranciscoNovember 5, 1973
 † †AntiochMay 26, 2018

BerkeleyJanuary 29, 1973
^


Muni Metro:San FranciscoNovember 5, 1973
^

San LeandroSeptember 11, 1972

BerkeleyJanuary 29, 1973
! scope="row" style="background-color:#CCCCCC" |  † †
 †
San JoséJune 13, 2020
Castro ValleyMay 10, 1997



Muni Metro:
(at surface stops)
San FranciscoNovember 5, 1973
 † †


Amtrak:OaklandSeptember 11, 1972

ColmaFebruary 24, 1996
ConcordMay 21, 1973
 † †
 †

Daly CityNovember 5, 1973
 † †Dublin/PleasantonMay 10, 1997

El CerritoJanuary 29, 1973

El CerritoJanuary 29, 1973



Muni Metro:
(at surface stops)
San FranciscoMay 27, 1976

FremontSeptember 11, 1972


OaklandSeptember 11, 1972



Muni Metro: (at )San FranciscoNovember 5, 1973

HaywardSeptember 11, 1972
LafayetteMay 21, 1973


OaklandSeptember 11, 1972
^

OaklandSeptember 11, 1972
 †
 †
CaltrainMillbraeJune 22, 2003

VTA light rail:MilpitasJune 13, 2020



Muni Metro:
(at surface stops)
San FranciscoNovember 5, 1973

BerkeleyJanuary 29, 1973
ConcordDecember 16, 1995
 † †OAKOaklandNovember 22, 2014
OrindaMay 21, 1973
 †PittsburgDecember 7, 1996
PittsburgMay 26, 2018
Walnut CreekMay 21, 1973



Muni Metro:
(at surface stops)
(at )
San FranciscoNovember 5, 1973
 † †
 †
Amtrak: , ,RichmondJanuary 29, 1973
OaklandMay 21, 1973

San BrunoJune 22, 2003
 † †
 †
SFOSan Mateo CountyJune 22, 2003


San LeandroSeptember 11, 1972

HaywardSeptember 11, 1972

South San FranciscoJune 22, 2003

Union CitySeptember 11, 1972
Walnut CreekMay 21, 1973

FremontMarch 25, 2017
Dublin/PleasantonFebruary 19, 2011



OaklandSeptember 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.

StationLine(s)ConnectionsLocationPlanned
opening

Fremont2031

San José2036[9]

VTA light rail:San José2036[9]

Amtrak: ,
Caltrain
Altamont Corridor Express
VTA light rail:
California High-Speed Rail
San José2036[9]
 † †
 †
Amtrak:
Caltrain
Altamont Corridor Express
Santa Clara2036[9]
Oakland

Milpitas

References

  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ "System Facts". Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). 2021. Archived 2017-02-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  3. ^
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ "Schedules". Bay Area Rapid Transit District. Archived January 20, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  6. ^ "New Train Car Project". Bay Area Rapid Transit District. Archived February 13, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "BART's New Map Uses Colorful Names for Its Lines". Funcheap. Archived 2023-04-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  9. ^ 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.