6 seats removed from some BART cars
 

(05-08) 19:28 PDT -- BART, the regional rail system that is carrying more passengers on a typical weekday than ever before, has been quietly removing seats from trains to make room for even more riders.

Six seats are being removed from some cars to create more space for people to stand and to accommodate the growing number of on-board bikes and the luggage hauled by passengers heading to and from San Francisco International Airport.

"Crowding is not going to get to the point of New York or Tokyo, but we are carrying a lot more passengers, and we have to figure out how we can comfortably accommodate more people," Paul Oversier, BART's assistant general manager of operations, said Thursday.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...MNIF10JBES.DTL

I noticed that, and that the train is getting more crowded. It's a good thing, though, more people on BART is fewer people on the road.

I'm just waiting for fare increases. The transit agencies were already losing money, and with current fuel and power prices, they must really be taking in the shorts.

The newly refurbished cars (which don't have carpet) also have fewer seats near the doors. But I can't see how it would add a lot of capacity.