New Train Car Project: FAQ

Next-generation BART trains: The Fleet of the Future is being shaped now

FAQ: Next Generation BART Trains
A big thanks to those of you who have emailed comments about the next generation of BART train cars. Below are answers to the most frequent issues we've heard thus far. To comment on the rail car program, click here.

Q. What is the latest on the process to choose a car builder?
A. BART staff are scheduled to formally recommend award of the new car contract to the Board of Directors at its April 26 meeting. The Board may then take action authorizing award of the contract at the May 10th Board meeting.
The final three bidders, Alstom (from France), Bombardier (from Canada) and Rotem (from Korea), submitted their final bids on February 28. Based on a thorough evaluation of the bids, the recommended car builder is Bombardier Transit Corporation.  The contract will authorize up to 775 train cars to be built for BART.

Q:  Why is Bombardier the recommended firm to build the new BART trains?
A:  Bombardier had the highest technical score among all the companies considered.  Bombardier also had the lowest price.  Because the lowest price company is recommended, the public will save $184 million relative to the next best price.
 
Q:  I heard that one of the other bidders is willing to provide more American made components.  Why didn’t you pick them?
A:  BART established incentives to obtain as many American made components as possible.  With these incentives, BART provided the second place bid, a French company, with over $150 million worth of extra points on their price proposal.  Even with this credit, however, the second place company had a higher price and lower technical score than the recommended firm. BART is an industry leader in supporting Buy America.  BART successfully sponsored, and Governor Brown signed, California legislation that allows agencies to give a bid preference for proposals that exceed the minimum Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirement that the cost of domestic (U.S.) components must be at least 60% of the cost of all components.  Based on the legislation, the BART Board adopted a policy which allowed it to offer such a bid preference and incorporated that policy into our rail car procurement. The preference was applied to allow a downward adjustment of pricing for evaluation purposes if a company exceeded the 60% domestic content requirement.  In addition to the 60% domestic content requirement, Buy America regulations require that rail cars be assembled in the United States.  However, federal law specifically prohibits BART from placing any requirements or giving preference points for proposals offering local assembly, as compared to assembly in the United States. Buy America is a national policy, and it disallows local preferences.

Q:  Could BART select the second place French firm if it wants to?
A: No, US law requires fair play when using federal funds for public transit.  BART must either select the recommended company, which has the lowest price and highest technical score, or start the contracting process over again.

Q: What would be the impact of starting the process over again?
A: This would delay starting the design and construction of BART’s aging fleet by 1 to 1.5 years.  BART’s fleet is already the oldest among large transit agencies in America, and many of the cars will be 50 years old by the time new cars are available to replace them.  A delay would make BART service for the public less dependable, as the current fleet continues to get older, less reliable, and parts become more obsolete.  Postponement would also cost the public over $110 million due to escalation costs, and potentially much more due to the possibility of receiving higher priced bids if there were to be another round of bidding. Additionally, BART might not have enough cars in time to operate the extension to San Jose when that extension is ready to serve the public.

Q: Why can’t you save money by delaying the purchase of new cars, or refurbishing the existing cars?
A: BART's existing fleet is the oldest fleet among large domestic transit agencies, according to the American Public Transportation Association. See table below for comparisons: 

Over the next decade, BART train cars will continue to degrade and become more obsolete technologically. Most of the cars have already been overhauled, but are now approaching the end of their useful life. Many BART car components have weathered over a million miles of travel over the last four decades. If we don’t replace the BART fleet, trains will break down more often and create delays for BART riders. Also, the cost to maintain the old fleet of cars will become a larger and larger burden on BART’s annual operating budget, making BART less affordable to riders. Time is of the essence to get a production line in place to build the new cars. It will take 15 to 20 years to replace the entire fleet, so replacement costs will in fact be spread over several decades.

Q: Will the cars be "made in America" creating U.S. jobs?
A: Yes, final assembly of the car will take place in the United States and the cars will contain at least 2/3 American manufactured components. BART’s Board of Directors approved a first in the nation policy which gives “extra credit” in the bid process for for car builders to exceed the 60 percent level of domestic content required by Federal Buy America regulations, and each of the three final bidders responded to that incentive by increasing their US content above the federally-mandated 60%.

Q: Can BART require the new rail cars to be built locally, right here in the Bay Area?
A: No, federal contracting provisions prohibit BART from placing any requirements on where in the U.S. assembly must take place, or where parts must be manufactured.

Q:  When will the new BART trains arrive?
A: The first cars would arrive in 2015 and the last cars would arrive in 2023.

Q:  Will BART have a special fare increase to pay for the new trains?
A: No, at present the funding plan does not depend on any special fare increases for the new trains.  Most of the funding is federal, and will come from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.  Additional funds will come from the Valley Transportation Authority for trains to support the San Jose extension.  Finally, matching funds will come from either increased annual allocations out of the BART operating budget (possible due to higher than expected ridership growth and over $100 million in reduced labor costs and other efficiencies) or from other external sources of funding which BART is still in the process of identifying and pursuing.

Q: Can you add a third door without eliminating seating? I don’t want to have to stand long distances.
A: The answer is maybe. We think we have a way to do that, but we won’t know for sure until we do final engineering design with a carbuilder. BART will be working on new seat layouts to get as close as possible to the current seating standard. We are also seeking funding to expand the number of cars in the BART fleet to 1,000, which could increase the number of seats by 50%.
Note: third doors are needed to reduce the time it takes for passengers to get on and off trains. This will be an important part of getting more trains and more capacity onto the BART system to meet increasing ridership over the next 30-50 years.  We recognize, however, the need to provide as much seating as possible, especially for customers taking longer trips on BART.

Q: Will new seats and floors be cleaner than the ones you have now?
A: Yes, that’s the plan. We have heard loud and clear that most customers want seat upholstery and carpets removed in favor of easier-to-clean materials.

Q: Will you have open space to accommodate wheelchairs, luggage, and bikes?
A: Yes, the current designs include designated spaces for wheelchairs and bikes. In addition, by popular demand, BART seats will be mounted higher off the floor on the new train cars, making the seats more comfortable and increasing the amount of space under the seats to stow luggage. Also, preliminary designs for the new fleet include open seating areas designed to accommodate riders who want to keep their luggage close to them, customers with strollers, and customers who want a little more legroom.

Q: Is it viable to have dedicated bike cars in set locations on BART trains?
A: No, BART cars are continuously coupled and uncoupled in between runs throughout the day. Therefore, it is not possible to keep a “bike car” in a predictable position on a train. Instead, the current design calls for a bike rack on each car to provide a predictable and convenient place to hold bikes during times when bikes are allowed on the trains.

Q: Will the new car have more places for shorter people to hold on?
A: Yes, BART plans to increase the number of poles, handholds, and/or hand straps to better meet the needs of those who cannot reach overhead stanchions, as well as elderly and disabled customers who have told us they want more handholds near the doors to avoid losing their balance as trains accelerate or decelerate.  Public feedback to date indicates that most riders prefer vertical poles, however the number, style, and location of poles has not yet been finalized, and a final design will need to address possible impacts on the ability of wheelchair users to enter and exit trains.

Q: Can we have digital screens that tell us what station is the next stop?
A: Yes, we plan to have digital screens on the new trains to enhance passenger information.

Q: Will the new cars be faster?
A: No. The new cars will still have a maximum speed of 80 miles per hour. To go faster than that, changes would need to be made, not only to the rail car propulsion systems, but also to other BART infrastructure. Still, the new cars will help reduce travel times by having more doors, which will reduce the time spent loading and unloading passengers at stations.

Q: Will the new cars be less noisy?
A: BART will be requiring the carbuilder to meet the highest standards in the United States regarding train car interior noise and noise absorption. BART is also working on ways to make the tracks quieter.  BART has recently invested in new track maintenance equipment to improve the condition of the track and reduce the screeching noise heard by riders and neighbors. BART has conducted a number of experiments with different wheel metals and sound dampeners, but has found track maintenance to be the most effective solution so far.

Last Updated: April 24, 2012