The Future of BART: New Cars, Bike Racks & New Airport Service | Oakland

Submitted by the Event Organizer

The Board of Directors are scheduled to hear the results of public input on BART’s Fleet of the Future and to vote on two key design choices for the new trains: floor-to-ceiling poles and bike racks as well as the new fares for BART service to Oakland Airport.

The Board is scheduled to take action on staff recommendations regarding two of the new train features that had generated some of the most intense discussion. View the presentation (PDF)

FLOOR-TO-CEILING POLES
The Board will consider several alternatives to strike a balance that meets everyone’s needs: Alternative 1 moves the poles further away from the wheelchair areas on all cars; Alternative 2 removes poles from the middle door area on all cars; and Alternative 3 removes two poles from each cab car (“cab” cars, with room for a train operator, make up 40 percent of the fleet). The staff recommendation to the Board is a hybrid of Alternatives 3 and 1: Remove two poles on cab cars, and shift poles further away from wheelchair areas on non-cab cars.

BIKE RACKS
On the bike rack issue, there are three options from staff: Alternative A puts one bike rack on all cars (as seen in the train model); Alternative B puts one rack in non-cab cars only; and Alternative C removes bike racks altogether. The staff recommendation to the Board is Alternative A.

After the Board vote, the design phase ends, and the manufacturer will begin assembling pilot cars for testing on the BART system in 2015 to prove safety and reliability. After that, general production will begin, with more than 100 new cars going into service each year beginning in 2017.

BART SERVICE TO OAK AIRPORT
Oakland International Airport service is expected to begin this fall, but just how much riders will pay for the 3.2 mile trip is still up in the air.

The Board is scheduled to vote to set the fare at its 9 am meeting on June 12. The fare options under consideration range from $4-$6 for a one way trip. The meeting is open to the public or can be viewed, both live and archived, online.

BART to Oakland International Airport will replace the existing AirBART buses, reducing travel and wait time, increase system capacity by more than three times and add seven additional vehicles per hour.

Directions to Meeting: Take BART to 19th st. Station, exit 20th street stairs, walk 3 blocks south on 20th. As you go by CVS on your left, take the doors between CVS and Togos. Go in that lobby, hang a left and you’ll see the escalators to the board room… it should be pretty well marked.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.