BART Considers Range of Options for Retired Vehicles

Hundreds of cars in the system will be going offline in coming years, and the agency is looking at a variety of ideas for what to do with them.

1 minute read

January 14, 2019, 10:00 AM PST

By Camille Fink

Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock

By 2022, about 670 train cars in the Bay Area Rapid Transit system will be replaced with new vehicles, reports Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez. The BART board of directors is considering a wide array of possibilities for the decommissioned cars.

They could be sold to another operator or for scrap or recycling. The cars also could be repurposed for housing or restaurants. "One party has even reached out to the agency about buying BART cars to use for Airbnb listings," says Rodriguez.

BART could also donate the cars to museums, the military, or schools for training and educational use. Another idea is to donate them for use as homeless or temporary shelters.

Rodriguez notes that the decision on the final destination of the trains might be influenced by the fact that BART will owe the Federal Transit Administration 70 percent of the value of the cars since the FTA helped pay for them. As a result, any donations may end up costing the agency.

FULL STORY: Soon-to-be-retired BART cars could become Airbnb hotels, homeless shelters or housing

Saturday, January 5, 2019 in San Francisco Examiner

Government / Politics Infrastructure Transportation California Bay Area Rapid Transit BART Train Cars Rail Cars Transit Vehicles Federal Transit Administration View More

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.