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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BART at 50: Documents, Photos, Articles, etc
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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. |