SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA: Transit/Transportation News

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by JManc

This reminds me. I still have 50 bucks on my Clipper card. Wasn't crazy about BART but wish I rode Caltrain up from Palo Alto to Soma at least once. Trains remind me of those in the Netherlands.

Why what's wrong with BART?

[JManc]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Why what's wrong with BART?

Nothing really just found it easier and more convenient to drive even with the Bay Bridge gridlock. If I had to commute back and forth every day, I'd def. would have used it often.

[Nouvellecosse]

Oh ok makes sense. At first it just sounded like a more generalized assessment lol.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Oh ok makes sense. At first it just sounded like a more generalized assessment lol.

If it was a direct route (for me), it would be a no brainer and it is the best and quickest way to get to SF from Oakland and Berkeley.

[38 Geary]

Went down to the Newhall Yard and West Portal to check out the progress on the launch station.

Some of the work being done:
- During operation, the West Portal itself, also known as the TBM shaft, will also remove excavated soil out of the tunnel so that tunnel lining segments will be brought into the tunnel and installed
- The tunnel lining factory and tunnel lining storage is where tunnel lining segments will be fabricated and stored. The lining segments will be placed in the tunnel as soil is removed to create a structurally sound tube underground. One ring of the tunnel is comprised of nine segments; up to six rings per day will be installed
- The Grout Plant is also integral to the lining of the tunnel. Grout will be used to seal the tunnel lining segments in place as the TBM advances
- The Excavated Materials Bin is where the excavated soils from the tunnel will be stored until hauled offsite to be repurposed or disposed of
- A noise curtain will be constructed along the west side of the site to reduce noise from construction activities. The contractor will determine the exact length of the curtain to ensure they meet the noise mitigation requirements

[38 Geary]

Shorter, Smoother Rides on Muni Metro: How a Milestone Grant Will Help Us Improve Your Trips
By Mariana Maguire
Friday, August 1, 2025



We are working hard to improve your trips on Muni Metro, and a milestone grant will help us make even more progress. We recently won a $41 million state grant from the California Transportation Commission. Its highly competitive Solutions for Congested Corridors Program funds capital infrastructure projects.

...

Through TCUP, we will switch to Communications-Based Train Control technology. This technology uses wireless connections. It precisely tracks and continually communicates with every light rail vehicle in service. Our contract also locks in regular software updates for the life of the new system.

...

Operators will have new tools to manage Muni Metro trains. Modern train control technology allows easier and safer operations citywide. The new system will improve efficiency in the subways by an estimated 20%. This will enable us to run more service without as many delays due to subway congestion.  TCUP will improve traffic light timing as well. Continuous communication will give Muni Metro trains more green lights. This lowers wait times and makes trips faster overall. And new data will help us see how our Metro service is performing in ways we’ve never been able to before – including outside the subways. This means we can spot patterns or issues and keep making changes to improve your trips.

https://www.sfmta.com/blog/shorter-smoot...ne-grant-will-help-us-improve-your-trips

[38 Geary]

Some nice TOD incoming. Hopefully they can do something similar with every BART station with a big parking lot.

The specs for Ashby BART Station Redevelopment:
- 5 structures, 7 floors
- 618 units
- 50% of the units will be affordable
- 25,000 sq ft of retail and office space

The site:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cKiDT37f9UPn38Wz9

Adeline Alliance Team Selected For Ashby BART Station Redevelopment, Berkeley



By: Andrew Nelson 5:30 am on August 7, 2025

Adeline Alliance Team has been selected to redevelop the Ashby BART Station in the south of Berkeley, Alameda County. The successful vision proposes a densely packed mixed-use hub that ties together community needs and residential services below hundreds of apartments. The project is currently in its preliminary stages as the team and city enter an exclusive negotiation agreement.

The winning proposal consists of roughly six hundred units, with the current iteration expecting 618 apartments. Renderings shared by the expansive design team show an early conceptual design for the purposes of the competition. That team includes DIALOG, Urban International Studios, PYATOK, Yes Community Architects, and Plural Studio.



While renderings are included in the plan presentation, it must be reiterated that the final design has not been decided. The preliminary plan includes a fifty-fifty mix of affordable and market-rate units. The site plan includes five structures reaching seven stories tall, including two market-rate apartments, two affordable family complexes, and one senior affordable housing project. Roughly 25,000 square feet of leasable retail and office space will be spread across the area.

https://sfyimby.com/2025/08/adeline-alli...bart-station-redevelopment-berkeley.html

[38 Geary]

Caltrain July ridership up 77.8% year over year. Still only at 64.2% of pre-pandemic ridership though, likely due to hybrid work schedules. Weekend ridership is doing really well, beyond pre-pandemic ridership.

Here's the breakdown for July 2025:
Average weekday ridership: 39,813 +70.9% 56.5% of pre-pandemic
Average Saturday ridership: 24,818 +123.1% 154.5% of pre-pandemic
Average Sunday ridership: 19,699 +105.9% 171.0% of pre-pandemic

https://www.caltrain.com/about-caltrain/statistics-reports/ridership/fare-media-based

[38 Geary]

SMART July ridership up 50.9% year over year, and now at 207.9% of pre-pandemic ridership!

Here's the breakdown for July 2025:
Average weekday ridership: 4,763 +50.6% 189.2% of pre-pandemic

https://www.sonomamarintrain.org/RidershipReports

[Nouvellecosse]

Interesting how SMART has nearly identical ridership to eBART, the other DMU line operating in the same wider region.

[38 Geary]

08.19.25
Huge win for riders with Tap and Ride coming to BART allowing riders to pay with contactless payment methods, including bank cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay

A new day for riders arrives Wednesday, August 20, as BART becomes the Bay Area’s first Tap and Ride system. Starting with tomorrow morning’s commute, Tap and Ride will provide riders the ability to pay adult fares at BART fare gates using physical contactless credit or debit cards or mobile payment methods such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. With Tap and Ride, riders will no longer need to use a Clipper card to ride BART. This will be an immense timesaver for riders who can now use their contactless bank cards to ride BART with zero registration or setup process required.

“Tap and Ride follows the installation of Next Generation Fare Gates, running only Fleet of the Future trains, boosting cleaning, and increasing our visible safety presence as efforts that are transforming the BART experience,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers. “This is an especially important innovation for out-of-town visitors and infrequent riders who may not have a physical or digital Clipper card and want a simple way to use our service.”

...

When paying with a contactless bank card, riders will be charged full adult fares, and riders with eligibility-based discounts, such as Clipper START or youth and senior discounts, must continue using their physical or digital Clipper card. Transfer discounts will not be available with Tap and Ride until the feature is rolled out to the Bay Area’s other transit agencies. Riders transferring from BART to a connecting transit agency are advised to use their physical or digital Clipper card to receive the current transfer discounts.

https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2025/news20250819

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by homebucket

SMART July ridership up 50.9% year over year, and now at 207.9% of pre-pandemic ridership!

Here's the breakdown for July 2025:
Average weekday ridership: 4,763 +50.6% 189.2% of pre-pandemic

https://www.sonomamarintrain.org/RidershipReports

And just imagine how much better still it would be if it was an extension across the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge (or replacement bridge) of the BART Red Line offering a fast one-seat ride all the way downtown?

[38 Geary]

Absolutely. When it comes time to replace the Richmond San Rafael bridge with a new one a BART extension should be on the table for discussion. Either on the lower deck or if the new bridge is wide enough, the median.

The one caveat is that there’s already a ferry terminal at Larkspur where the current terminus is for SMART. And from there it’s a 35 min ferry ride to the Ferry Building in SF. And currently from Richmond to Embarcadero station via BART it takes 36 min, so BART from Larkspur crossing the northern part of the Bay would like be another few minutes on top of that.

Although from the Larkspur station to ferry terminal it is about a 10 minute walk. Overall travel times should be fairly similar. The main difference would be transferring from SMART onto Golden Gate Ferry vs SMART onto BART. And of course the other advantage of BART is the stations are closer to offices when you exit at Embarcadero station vs the Ferry Building, and obviously the options to continue onto Montgomery or Powell or Civic Center, etc.

[38 Geary]

09.02.25
BART unveils Cab Cam video series, showcasing the entire system in 4K

• Video Link

From Antioch to Millbrae, the Transbay Tube to the Dublin hills, BART fans can now see the system like never before as BART releases a new series of videos showcasing the entire BART System from the point of view of a Train Operator. The BART Cab Cam series is the first time this footage will be available to view on YouTube at youtube.com/@bartable.

BART released the first video -- a ride on the Red Line from end to end -- on Monday, September 1, to kick off Transit Month. A total of 12 videos will be released of all five BART lines and the Oakland Airport Connector in both directions.

The videos will be published on YouTube weekly over the next 12 weeks, with the final video debuting on November 3.

https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2025/news20250902

[38 Geary]

• Video Link

[38 Geary]

Interesting data.. not sure what this means but it looks like BART is.. best??

BART has best Cost Efficiency (OE/VRM) in the nation both as commuter rail and subway, and provides above average Cost Effectiveness (OE/PMT) 🎉
CA should be throwing every transportation dollar its got at the spectacularly efficient and effective BART system to maximize ridership!

https://www.threads.com/@bryan.culbertson.ca/post/C_y4RUmSvm5

[jmecklenborg]

Originally Posted by homebucket

• Video Link

Great video except for the almost complete absence of passengers. I hope that this was shot on a Sunday or on a holiday.

[Busy Bee]

They're running 6-car trains so it's definitely off-peak. My guess is it's a lazy Sunday afternoon. I think most of WTAE videos are on Sundays too.

[38 Geary]

• Video Link

[38 Geary]

09.15.25
August BART ridership keeps growing, bolstered by weekend events, Tap and Ride launch, and UC Berkeley BayPass rollout

BART ridership saw steady growth this summer with August ridership up 10% compared to a year ago, a reflection of the ongoing success of BART’s efforts to enhance safety, cleanliness, and customer experience, including the new fare payment system Tap and Ride.

...

Weekend ridership continues to trend upward with Saturdays in August seeing an 11% increase over a year ago and Sundays an 8.1% increase. These increases were bolstered by major events, including a three-day Dead & Company residency at Golden Gate Park, Outside Lands, and the Bay FC vs. Washington Spirit match that sold out Oracle Arena.

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Also in August, San Francisco city workers began returning to their downtown office and local schools returned to session. With the start of the fall semester at UC Berkeley in mid-August, Clipper BayPass ridership more than doubled from the previous August as the all-in-one transit pass rolled out to the entire Cal student body. In March, students approved a referendum that increases annual student fees to provide 50,000 undergraduates and graduate students with unlimited travel on Bay Area transit agencies for two years.

https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2025/news20250915-1