The final run event was as follows:
MacArthur Station April 20, 2024. 1:00 PM Ceremony followed by final run. The final run was from MacArthur to Fremont stations, just as how they first entered service. Articles: See you tomorrow - Final Run of the Legacy Fleet END OF THE LINE: FINAL RUN OF THE FIRST FLEET Additional details: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2024/news20240311 |
After millions of miles and decades of service, the BART fleet has reached its final stop. Of a fleet once at 669 cars, three cars have been specially chosen for preservation at the Western Railway Museum - the only cars to be preserved as museum pieces.
A2 Car 1164 arrived August 9, 2024 B2 Car 1834 arrived September 11, 2024 (Day One + 52 years) C1 Car 329 arrived October 4, 2024 All three cars are parked inside carbarn 3 and BART has been steadily donating legacy fleet equipment in the meantime. The cars are currently being prepared for public display, and not yet open. ETA September 2025. |
September 11, 1972 opened up a new era in American rail transportation with the first operation of the new San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit system. A harbinger of exciting things to come, 10 years in planning, development, and construction.
BART has, without a doubt, received the widest publicity ever given a train or system. It is the rare person who has not heard about BART and would not recognize the distinctive modern design of its rail cars. Trains made up of 3 to 10, 72 passenger, car units speed along at 80 m.p.h., providing space-age comfort and safety (twice the average speed of other urban systems). |
Comfort and convenience are the alluring elements to attract passengers. BART with its lowest seating ratio to car length, provides stretch-out comfort in a tastefully appointed, fully carpeted interior, devoid of advertising [sic]. Seats are upholstered in fabric and vinyl and cantilevered from the side wall leaving the floor completely unobstructed. Deep tinted picture windows are a hallmark. Thirty-four stations are individually designed, many brightly color-coordinated and many containing works of art. It truly is a pleasure to ride, every aspect of the system has been given its own attention, to this end.
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It's a flash of aluminum at 80 miles an hour, a comfortable seat in rush hour, a new panorama of the East Bay.
That’s BART, a four-letter word defining the most modern, fastest, and probably most comfortable means of getting from here to there urban America has yet devised. It’s one of the most costly public works jobs on record in an era where the public rarely seems bothered about spending billions over 10 years to reach the moon, but is critical of allocating $1.4 billion in a decade to get from home to work and back, without ulcers. BART is as colorful as the famed Moscow Metro, faster than any subway in the world, at least as spacious as jetliner first class space, quieter, smoother, and better smelling than a bus, and less nerve-racking than the Nimitz Freeway at 5:10 pm. Harre Demoro, Oakland Tribune, BART Day One |
The BARTchives is quickly turning into a major endeavor - a detailed book covering the history of the BART legacy fleet, from conception to decommissioning. The book explains the design process, construction, operation, refinement, refurbishment, and retirement of the fleet, using thousands of documents, hundreds of hours of analysis, and dozens of personal stories. This book also includes a similar level of detail on the Fleet of the Future thus far.
The book will serve as a comprehensive memoir of these cars, and hopefully serve as the next volume of text following the excellent books on BART’s predecessors, including the Key System, Interurban Electric Railway, and Sacramento Northern. The first printing of the book is estimated to occur in 2025. Reserve a copy here! |
From time to time, BART sells the exterior number plates from retired cars. I am happy to provide these new "BART-car-plate-owners" a picture of their car back when it was in service.
As of November 2024 I have helped over 100 people get pictures of their cars. Even BART has used my pics! All are welcome. More details available here: BART Car Number Plate Owners - Pictures of your car may be available! |
BART at 50: Documents, Photos, Articles, etc on the official BART site
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There are dozens of interesting transit agencies around the San Francisco Bay Area, alongside BART. BART is no island and the pioneering spirit of the system resulted in a new age of public transit in the San Francisco Bay Area. The likes of which included investments in bus, rail, and ferry transportation systems.
As of today, there are three ferry pages. Coming soon are pages on: Amtrak California, CalTrain, ACE, and SMART. |