Any word on when BART will open?
Feb 4, 2003, 6:26 am
#1
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Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: SFO
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Any word on when BART will open?
I've heard the rumors that it won't be till summer now.
Is there any place on the web where word is published about the official date?
Is there any place on the web where word is published about the official date?
Feb 4, 2003, 2:16 pm
#2
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www.imsureitwillbeopenbeforeyoudie.com
Sorry, but you just have to have some sense of humor about something that takes 40 years from the initial plan. And sorry I don't have a more accurate answer than what you know - any "published" info is still not accurate because there are still several variables.
Sorry, but you just have to have some sense of humor about something that takes 40 years from the initial plan. And sorry I don't have a more accurate answer than what you know - any "published" info is still not accurate because there are still several variables.
Feb 5, 2003, 12:19 pm
#3
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: BOS/PVD
Posts: 461
This is the most recent official BART press release. Basically, there is no date set, but once the system gets handed over to BART, BART will then require at least a month's worth of testing (presuming there are no problems--unlike the AirTrain accidents during testing at both SFO and JFK) before it can open up the system to the public.
Oh, and Eastbay1K, give the Bay Area some credit--its only been 30 years since this idea has been first proposed.
Specifically, the first mention of rail access to SFO was in the San Francisco Airport Access Project Report, issued in 1972. The 40 year figure is for JFK... (sorry, this is my thesis topic, so I'm engulfed in data on this very isse).
[This message has been edited by EnhancedByCO (edited 02-05-2003).]
Oh, and Eastbay1K, give the Bay Area some credit--its only been 30 years since this idea has been first proposed.
Specifically, the first mention of rail access to SFO was in the San Francisco Airport Access Project Report, issued in 1972. The 40 year figure is for JFK... (sorry, this is my thesis topic, so I'm engulfed in data on this very isse).[This message has been edited by EnhancedByCO (edited 02-05-2003).]
Feb 10, 2003, 7:04 am
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: East Danville CA USA
Posts: 4
The latest buzz is that the BART extension and the SFO peoplemover will open March 3.
There is a desire that they open together, for publicity reasons.
BART is essentially complete, the last of the ticket machines have been installed, and test trains have been through, many times. Like many transit agencies, BART is unionized. This means that train drivers (operators) bid every month, or quarter, for assignments. If you notice, most transit agencies change schedules, open lines, etc., on the first Monday of a month, or quarter. This makes the bidding process easier, and minimizes overtime pay, which is what happens when special trains, or extras, happen mid-month. Sometimes, there's not much management can do, but, if they have the chance, they do this stuff at certain times, for scheduling optimization.
Similarly, the union has to be told "first". That means, no official press releases will come out of BART, until the union gets a few days.
The critical path has been the people mover. This is a standard Bombardier C-100 system, but has had a few glitches. They need a clear 30 day test, with no accidents, fires, etc., to sign off. This test is about half done, and has gone well. When it's done, in a week, or two, then BART will use that info as the start of crew change notices for BART. However, the two systems are independent. It is typical for both BART, and other people mover installations, to be unfinished on opening day. Lots of cosmetic things like signage, advertising frames, parking lot stripes, pay phones, etc., to be missing on opening day. However, all that stuff is going on at BART stations now, and they will be mostly complete on opening day.
There is a desire that they open together, for publicity reasons.
BART is essentially complete, the last of the ticket machines have been installed, and test trains have been through, many times. Like many transit agencies, BART is unionized. This means that train drivers (operators) bid every month, or quarter, for assignments. If you notice, most transit agencies change schedules, open lines, etc., on the first Monday of a month, or quarter. This makes the bidding process easier, and minimizes overtime pay, which is what happens when special trains, or extras, happen mid-month. Sometimes, there's not much management can do, but, if they have the chance, they do this stuff at certain times, for scheduling optimization.
Similarly, the union has to be told "first". That means, no official press releases will come out of BART, until the union gets a few days.
The critical path has been the people mover. This is a standard Bombardier C-100 system, but has had a few glitches. They need a clear 30 day test, with no accidents, fires, etc., to sign off. This test is about half done, and has gone well. When it's done, in a week, or two, then BART will use that info as the start of crew change notices for BART. However, the two systems are independent. It is typical for both BART, and other people mover installations, to be unfinished on opening day. Lots of cosmetic things like signage, advertising frames, parking lot stripes, pay phones, etc., to be missing on opening day. However, all that stuff is going on at BART stations now, and they will be mostly complete on opening day.
Feb 10, 2003, 2:20 pm
#6
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by EnhancedByCO:
Oh, and Eastbay1K, give the Bay Area some credit--its only been 30 years since this idea has been first proposed. Specifically, the first mention of rail access to SFO was in the San Francisco Airport Access Project Report, issued in 1972. The 40 year figure is for JFK... (sorry, this is my thesis topic, so I'm engulfed in data on this very isse).
[This message has been edited by EnhancedByCO (edited 02-05-2003).]</font>
Oh, and Eastbay1K, give the Bay Area some credit--its only been 30 years since this idea has been first proposed.
Specifically, the first mention of rail access to SFO was in the San Francisco Airport Access Project Report, issued in 1972. The 40 year figure is for JFK... (sorry, this is my thesis topic, so I'm engulfed in data on this very isse).[This message has been edited by EnhancedByCO (edited 02-05-2003).]</font>
By the way, has there been any recent press about the "secret" hidden unused BART station @ SFO?
Feb 16, 2003, 1:44 pm
#8
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: SFO
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BART's airport service in limbo
How soon trial run can begin is unclear
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...6/BA238489.DTL
How soon trial run can begin is unclear
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...6/BA238489.DTL
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Don't pack the suitcases and head to BART to start that vacation just yet. It could be months more before the long-awaited extension to San Francisco International Airport opens.
Contractor Tutor-Saliba/Slattery, which was supposed to wrap up construction in early November, still hasn't turned over the project to BART so that testing of the $1.5 billion extension can begin.</font>
Contractor Tutor-Saliba/Slattery, which was supposed to wrap up construction in early November, still hasn't turned over the project to BART so that testing of the $1.5 billion extension can begin.</font>
Feb 19, 2003, 7:17 pm
#9
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: East Danville CA USA
Posts: 4
Looks like BART will get the signoff next week (before March) and will run 8-10 weeks of practice. As of today (19 Feb) it still belongs to Tutor-Saliba.
One "urban legend" I heard was that, every time there was a glitch on the people mover, the workers on BART got sent to other sites and took advantage of the people mover delay. When the people mover started up again, then they came back. Apparently, Tutor-Saliba has a number of jobs running in California, and moving people around improves teh cash flow, by making important milestones, before the ends of months.
It seems the same thing happened on BART - whenever some part was late coming, or a glitch happened, and BART slowed down, Bombardier pulled people off the people mover. For a long time, the idea was to open both pieces with one big shindig. So, when one slowed down, the other did also.
When Dublin opened up five years ago, they did 10 weeks of testing. Actually, they intended to open early, and had lots of glitches in the automatic system. BART learned a lot, and some thought they could shorten this project to a month, but, with all the exposure from accidents, power failures, etc., there's huge internal pressure to do it "by the book".
Looks like early to mid June as an opening timeframe. Despite the expected 30,000 new riders every day, the project is "revenue neutral" to BART and they have no great financial benefit by opening.
One "urban legend" I heard was that, every time there was a glitch on the people mover, the workers on BART got sent to other sites and took advantage of the people mover delay. When the people mover started up again, then they came back. Apparently, Tutor-Saliba has a number of jobs running in California, and moving people around improves teh cash flow, by making important milestones, before the ends of months.
It seems the same thing happened on BART - whenever some part was late coming, or a glitch happened, and BART slowed down, Bombardier pulled people off the people mover. For a long time, the idea was to open both pieces with one big shindig. So, when one slowed down, the other did also.
When Dublin opened up five years ago, they did 10 weeks of testing. Actually, they intended to open early, and had lots of glitches in the automatic system. BART learned a lot, and some thought they could shorten this project to a month, but, with all the exposure from accidents, power failures, etc., there's huge internal pressure to do it "by the book".
Looks like early to mid June as an opening timeframe. Despite the expected 30,000 new riders every day, the project is "revenue neutral" to BART and they have no great financial benefit by opening.
Feb 21, 2003, 10:51 am
#10
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Posts: 4
Mar 4, 2003, 10:11 am
#11
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Streaming Video: BART to SFO
http://video.kron4.com/?clip=1173855
Windows Media Player required. Macintosh users may need to use this link. Windows Media Player for Macintosh is available here.
http://video.kron4.com/?clip=1173855
Windows Media Player required. Macintosh users may need to use this link. Windows Media Player for Macintosh is available here.
Jun 15, 2003, 11:01 am
#12
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SFO'S TRAIN COMES IN
By Lisa Vorderbrueggen
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
We've squirmed for years like children in the back seat, asking, "Are we there yet?"
More than 30 years after BART hired an engineer to design it, the agency will open an 8.7-mile extension to the San Francisco International Airport and the Peninsula.
The curious public may visit during an open house Saturday and officially ride starting next Sunday.
To quote the Beatles, who released this song the year before BART carried its first rider, it's been a long and winding road.
No other Bay Area public works project, except perhaps the replacement eastern span of the Bay Bridge, has overcome greater obstacles....
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/6093462.htm
By Lisa Vorderbrueggen
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
We've squirmed for years like children in the back seat, asking, "Are we there yet?"
More than 30 years after BART hired an engineer to design it, the agency will open an 8.7-mile extension to the San Francisco International Airport and the Peninsula.
The curious public may visit during an open house Saturday and officially ride starting next Sunday.
To quote the Beatles, who released this song the year before BART carried its first rider, it's been a long and winding road.
No other Bay Area public works project, except perhaps the replacement eastern span of the Bay Bridge, has overcome greater obstacles....
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/6093462.htm
Jun 15, 2003, 2:38 pm
#13
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Service to S.F. Airport set to begin next Sunday
Finally.
After being delayed by everything from budget troubles to construction hitches to endangered garter snakes, the long-awaited Bay Area Rapid Transit extension to the San Francisco International Airport will open next Sunday.
The 8.7 miles of new track -- through South San Francisco and San Bruno, into the airport's international terminal, and south to a Millbrae station that links BART and Caltrain -- are the culmination of 5 1/2 years of building, more than a decade of planning and 30 years of dreaming.
``That is an extraordinary thing,'' said BART extension spokeswoman Molly McArthur. ``We have people from all over this country coming to look at it saying, `How did you do that? We want one!' ''
But important questions remain: Who is going to ride? And will enough people use the system to justify its long construction delays, increased travel costs and parking complications?
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/6093623.htm
Finally.
After being delayed by everything from budget troubles to construction hitches to endangered garter snakes, the long-awaited Bay Area Rapid Transit extension to the San Francisco International Airport will open next Sunday.
The 8.7 miles of new track -- through South San Francisco and San Bruno, into the airport's international terminal, and south to a Millbrae station that links BART and Caltrain -- are the culmination of 5 1/2 years of building, more than a decade of planning and 30 years of dreaming.
``That is an extraordinary thing,'' said BART extension spokeswoman Molly McArthur. ``We have people from all over this country coming to look at it saying, `How did you do that? We want one!' ''
But important questions remain: Who is going to ride? And will enough people use the system to justify its long construction delays, increased travel costs and parking complications?
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/6093623.htm
Jun 18, 2003, 11:00 pm
#14
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I saw my first "practice" trains headed into SFO a couple of days ago on the way into work.
A beautiful sight!
The original (misguided, IMHO) plan was to build a station about a mile from the airport, with connecting vehicles, similar to what they have at BOS.
Then a local politico, Quentin Kopp, made a big stink and put up a ballot proposition in which SF voters explicitly stated their desire that the train should run into the airport.
Thanks, Mr. Kopp...
A beautiful sight!
The original (misguided, IMHO) plan was to build a station about a mile from the airport, with connecting vehicles, similar to what they have at BOS.
Then a local politico, Quentin Kopp, made a big stink and put up a ballot proposition in which SF voters explicitly stated their desire that the train should run into the airport.
Thanks, Mr. Kopp...
Jun 19, 2003, 4:24 pm
#15
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 2,098
BART's long-awaited extension down the Peninsula could change more than the way people get to San Francisco International Airport. Down the tracks, it eventually could lead to longer operating hours, more paid parking at East Bay stations, even BART cars configured to better accommodate passengers lugging suitcases.
The 8.7-mile, four-station extension, which begins operating on Sunday, is expected to be immediately popular with travelers eager for a relatively quick, inexpensive and reliable way to get to SFO.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...19/MN47151.DTL
The 8.7-mile, four-station extension, which begins operating on Sunday, is expected to be immediately popular with travelers eager for a relatively quick, inexpensive and reliable way to get to SFO.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...19/MN47151.DTL