This area of our web site is dedicated to news and hidden facts about Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and the Valley Transportation Authority’s goal of bringing the system to Santa Clara County. The project is also known as the “Silicon Valley Rapid Transit Corridor.” Extensions of BART to SFO/Millbrae and the proposed BART extension to Warm Springs are also mentioned here. An explanation of each area of this page is below.
In addition to the latest BART system updates, a history of the cost overruns of all BART projects will be mentioned here. This gives you an idea on potential increases in your taxes that may be needed to ensure the proposed San Jose BART extension becomes a reality.
[toc]BART Past
- History of Bay Area Rapid Transit (from answers.com)
- Photos of BART when the system was being tested in the East Bay in 1971
- BART construction history (from bart.gov)
- Why BART (currently) does not run 24 hours
SFO/Millbrae Extension
News on the currently operating BART extension to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Millbrae will be mentioned here. Events on this extension will ultimately dictacte the success – or failure – of the BART extension into Santa Clara County.
- From February 2002: a history of missed deadlines and broken promises for the opening of the BART extension into San Francisco International Airport
- San Mateo Daily Journal 5/27/2006 letter from 1995 San Mateo Grand Jury member Tom Dempsey: Peninsula Transit Renegotiation Is a Must
- Tom Dempesy’s May 2005 commentary to the San Mateo Daily Journal that vindicated concerns that Grand Jury had on the San Francisco Airport BART extension.
- Excerpts from the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the BART SFO/Millbrae Extension from June 1996 (with ridership projection tables)
- San Francisco Chronicle 5/17/2006 from Matier and Ross: SamTrans a shrinking partner in cash-draining BART Peninsula line
- San Francisco Chronicle 6/30/2005: BART’s Peninsula Line Falls Short of Hopes
- From February 2002: a history of missed deadlines and broken promises for the opening of the BART extension into San Francisco International Airport
History of Cost Overruns
Every BART project ever built – from the initial line from MacArthur to Fremont in 1972 to the recently-opened extension to San Francisco Airport – has been at least 100% over its original projected budget. The following stories details why these cost overruns happen, who truly benefits from them – and who loses.
- Bay Crossings 8/7/2004: BIG Fat Lies (why big transportation projects like BART extensions always cost more than promised) by Guy Span
- BART, GM, and Bechtel: Protecting Property Values In the San Francisco Financial District (from the Urban Habitat Project)
- BART Construction History – 1964-1975
BART Today
- BART’s Board of Directors
- Current BART system facts
- Blog: BART Musings
BART Future
San Jose Extension
- The original “not recommended” rating from the Federal Transportation Administration from November 2004
- Bay Crossings January 2005: VTA’s Monomaniacal Manifest Destiny – BART to San Jose by Guy Span