'Back to Normal' for BART's East Bay Commuters...Maybe

"Normal service has returned," states Tiffany Wilson, reporter for the local ABC news affiliate, KGO-TV (San Francisco, CA), from the North Concord/Martinez BART station at the start of her newscast on Tuesday, April 5, which "might be the most beautiful words for BART commuters this morning."

'Normal' typically isn't something that you celebrate, but after 20 days of disruption and delays, you can imagine that riders are thrilled.

BART had been running a 'bus bridge,' and then BART shuttle trains between the North Concord/Martinez and Pittsburg/Bay Point stations, the last two East Bay stations on the Pittsburg/Bay Point–SFO/Millbrae line, the busiest of the five lines, since the March 16 power surge that incapacitated BART cars somewhere between the two stations. See system map below.

Both alternatives required passengers to transfer at the North Concord station. Now, if only temporarily, according to Michael Cabanatuan of the San Francisco Chronicle, direct service to/from Millbrae, SFO and San Francisco stations has been restored.

"A BART statement said the regular service is part of testing to determine the cause of a mysterious electrical problem," writes Cabanatuan.

“This means at some points in the day, we will have regular train service where riders will not need to transfer to complete their trip and at other points we may return to using shuttle trains,” BART’s statement said.

While direct service appeared to continue through the weekend, riders on East Bay lines that began or terminated at Dublin or Fremont would might need to take a bus bridge, according to a service alert.

This weekend there will be no BART trains running between Bayfair and San Leandro stations all day Saturday and Sunday while maintenance crews upgrade the trackway to improve reliability and safety. BART will provide a free bus bridge

Credit: BART: Bus Bridge between San Leandro and Bay Fair, some weekends April-June

The news about the much-anticipated arrival of the first of 775 new, Bombardier-manufactured BART cars was not as equivocal as restoration of normal service between North Concord/Martinez and Pittsburg/Bay Point.

"BART introduced the first train from its new fleet at its Hayward railyard at an event for reporters, employees and agency directors held a couple of weeks after the car arrived in the Bay Area from Plattsburgh, N.Y., by truck," writes Cabanatuan.

"Inside, there are fewer seats with more standing room for those crowded during rush hour commutes," writes Wilson. "Three sets of doors line the car walls allowing easier access for passengers getting on and off the cars."

BART cars only have two doors. Fewer seats and more doors make for more efficient use of the cars, with quicker entering and exiting the cars. I was particularly impressed with the bike racks.

“'It’s a big improvement, the first big change to BART cars since 1972,' said Director Zakhary Mallett, referring to the year the transit agency started running trains," writes Cabanatuan. “This is the next generation of BART.”

BART is targeting revenue service to begin with a complete train of new cars by December 2016, once a rigorous testing phase is completed.

BART has the fifth highest ridership of heavy rail (subway) systems in the United States, after New York, Washington, Chicago, and Boston according to Wikipedia. However, of the five, it has by far the lowest ridership per mile on its five lines that cover 104 miles.