BART

Today, BART released a new report that paints a bleak picture of a Bay Area without BART while highlighting the benefits of the transit system to the region with a wide range of metrics. BART’s Role in the Region Report aims to inform a regional conversation about the future of BART by describing its contributions to the Bay Area. It also provides predictions for how the Bay Area – its economic viability, traffic-choked roadways, cultural institutions, and more – will look without BART. “The Bay Area and our regional transportation network have undergone significant changes since BART last conducted a Role in the Region study in 2016," said BART General Manager Bob Powers. “The 2024 Role in the Region Report arrives at a crucial crossroads for BART and the region, and the data, analyses, and stories within will serve as an important educational resource for the pivotal years ahead.” The report contains insights into key topics, including changes in travel patterns and funding; BART’s holistic benefits to the Bay Area; and BART’s future using data visualizations, analyses, and storytelling. View the report and visit the project webpage at bart.gov/roleintheregion and find the press release https://lnkd.in/gcA9qnHr. --- Image Descriptions: 1. Role in the Region Report banner. 2. Regional traffic congestion would worsen without BART. Drivers could experience up to an additional 19 hours lost to congestion weekly. 3. Without BART, traffic could increase by 73% on the Bay Bridge and 22% in the Caldecott Tunnel during morning peak commute hours. 4. BART is significantly more affordable than driving. Example: Taking BART from West Dublin/Pleasanton Station to Embarcadero Station costs $14. Driving the same route costs $95, including gas, tolls, insurance, and maintenance.

Have yourself a BARTy little sweater – and vest and beanie and scarf. That’s right, we just kicked off the Railgoods.com BART Holiday Merch Pre-Sale, and this year, we have four brand new items to help you toast BART and the winter season. The heatwave’s over, the sweat on your brow has dried, your sunburn’s faded. It’s time to start shopping for knitwear. Get ‘em while it’s hot. Do you want to be sleighing in the Bay this winter? Preorder the new holiday goodies before this sled sails. The pre-sale is open on Railgoods.com now and will close July 31. Pre-sale items ship early November. If you miss the pre-sale, we will have sweaters and other holiday merch on hand in late November. But BART holiday sweaters always sell out, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. Order now so you don’t have to DM us later asking if we can “strike up a deal” 🙄. We cannot. We will however give you a discount code. Use code 2024BARTholiday20 for $20 off holiday merch orders over $100 and 2024BARTholiday10 for $10 off holiday merch orders over $50. This is the first time we’ve offered discounts on holiday merch, and this is the lowest priced sweater we’ve ever sold (it’s also the least expensive holiday transit sweater in the Bay 👀).

A completely rebuilt escalator is now open at Powell St. Station, connecting the platform to the concourse level. This is the fourth platform escalator to reopen with more modern, reliable features at the showcase station; just one more platform escalator remains to be rebuilt at Powell St. and work is already underway. https://lnkd.in/g-qEQgyS

Today, BART Communications and the BART Art Program were thrilled to kick off the Board of Directors meeting with a poetry reading. Olivia Nguyen and Hunter Stoval (joining virtually from Wyoming)— two Teen Poetry Contest winners — stood up in front of the board to read their winning poems, and they dazzled! The reading was a joyous reminder that art and transit go together. bart.gov/bartlines

Elvis Presley loved his bubblegum pink Cadillac. Elvis Herselvis prefers a blue-and-white ride. Her vehicle is roomier than that Fleetwood Sixty Special, boasts twice as many wheels, and unlike that old gas guzzler, it runs on electricity. We’ll toss her the mic so she can say it herselvis: “My life would suck without BART.” For thirty years, Elvis Herselvis, the drag king persona of legendary drag performer, artist, and musician Leigh Crow, has taken BART to rehearsals, performances, bars, brunches, and her brother’s house in Richmond. We recently met up with her at MacArthur Station to take pics with photographer Patricia Chang – doesn’t Crow's silver suit look fab paired with a silver train? – and talk BART. --- Full story: https://lnkd.in/gvcZpV-A --- Some background: Crow is considered to be the world’s first female Elvis impersonator. She was also one of the first out lesbian performers to tour the southern U.S., said Ruby Vixen, Crow’s partner in life and performance. Vixen and Crow can regularly be seen on BART in “various states of drag,” and they’re proud of it. “It’s a signal boost that encourages everyone of every gender that drag is viable, and that you should feel safe and welcome to do it.” This weekend, look for Elvis Herselvis and Ruby Vixen on BART and enjoy what will certainly be a festive and celebratory ride. BART will be in the parade and Railgoods will be selling merch at the Civic Center Celebration (Sunday only). Check out our guide to Pride here: https://lnkd.in/g-6yQuSU

Meet Nitika Sathiya, a winner of the BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest and a 2022 Alameda County Co-Youth Poet Laureate. In the reel, Nitika reads her winning poem, “souvenir,” on BART. She says, “My poem is not only a love letter to the Bay Area, but also a memory box holding my favorite parts of my childhood.” Thanks for sharing your work with us, Nitika. We’ll post more BART poetry readings soon. Find more winning poems in our station story dispensers and online at https://lnkd.in/gKiYYwUt. bart.gov/bartlines

BART encourages you to ride with pride for the San Francisco Pride Parade this Sunday, June 30! We’re offering our most robust service EVER for the parade, including additional event trains. Follow our rider guide to get to the parade and the Civic Center Celebration, located at Civic Center/UN Plaza on Saturday and Sunday. BART will have a booth at the celebration both days. On Sunday only, Railgoods will be stationed at the booth to sell merch, including new BART Pride 2024 items. Pick up your swag in person for instant gratification and no shipping fees! BART wishes everyone a safe and happy celebration. Find more information about our enhanced Sunday service and tips for using BART on the day of the parade: https://lnkd.in/g-6yQuSU

Today and tomorrow BART crews will begin the process of replacing track switches between Rockridge, MacArthur, and 19th Street stations. These switches are a vital part of the BART system that allow trains to safely move from track to track. To ensure a safe workspace for the project team, free buses will replace trains between the three stations. Riders can expect delays of up to 40 minutes in the area. Work will take place through the heart of the District on select, non-consecutive weekends into 2026. Free buses will replace trains between Rockridge, MacArthur, and 19th Street stations on the following weekends this year: June 22-23, July 20-21, August 17-18, September 21-22, October 19-20, and November 2-3. In addition to the track shutdown, there will be no Red Line service on these weekends. Get all the details about the work, its impacts, and how it will make BART more reliable for our riders: https://bit.ly/4c8EX7s

Mechanical Engineer Joshua Munoz has loved rollercoasters for as long as he can remember, even before he was tall enough (and brave enough) to ride them. He was mesmerized by the way the trains articulated and twisted, how they moved loudly yet gracefully around a track. And when he was seven, he finally got to ride one. In time, Joshua’s interests expanded to include another class of wheel and rail systems (one without the loop-de-loops): railroads. Now an adult with a PhD in railway engineering, Joshua has relied on a strong inner resiliency to build a career where he can contribute to BART's mission of safety carrying people around the region. --- Full Story: https://lnkd.in/gJq8b9ZW --- Joshua’s path to the Bay Area and BART has been full of twists and turns, not unlike a rollercoaster. He grew up on the military base Camp Pendleton, and said he was lucky as a young gay kid that it was in a progressive area that was generally accepting of him. Years before Joshua worked for BART, the system was an integral part of his life. “BART has connected me to the gay community and my favorite experiences for years now,” he said. He also noted that he and fellow LGBT colleagues bring something special to the BART organization. "As a gay person, you come into the workplace with empathy because we have all experienced some form of discrimination in our lives,” he said. “We also practice resiliency because we have to.” In 2019, Joshua’s resiliency was tested after a horrific tragedy. His abuelito, Luis Juarez, was killed in a mass shooting in an El Paso Walmart. At 90, Luis was the oldest victim. Joshua’s abuelita, Martha Juarez, was injured in the shooting but survived. "The experience demonstrated that there is extreme hatred in our country,” Joshua said. It also made him learn the necessity of leaning on others, including his queer community, for support in times of need. “You don’t have to be alone in being resilient,” he said. “Find the people and resources you need to recover from a hardship, to understand your trauma, and to return to your life stronger."

One of the most important rebuilding projects in the history of BART begins this Saturday. Work will happen around the clock on Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23 to begin the replacement of a series of track switches between Rockridge, MacArthur, and 19th Street stations in Oakland. Switches are vital components of the BART trackway that allow trains to safely move from track to track. Years of planning have gone into the track replacement work that will be happening on select weekends over the next three years to enhance the reliability of the core of BART. Organizers are calling this the most challenging and complex segment of BART’s revitalization plan that started in 2016, when District voters approved Measure RR. The measure provides $3.5 billion to replace aging track, traction power cables, and other vital equipment. On the latest edition of our podcast series "Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART," Project Manager Kevin Reeg and Operations Planner Hayley Toy talk about this vital rebuilding project. Learn about the unique challenges of this work, what will be accomplished, and what's being done to reduce impacts on riders. Listen to our latest podcast: https://bit.ly/3VvWlf3