BART is telling the stories of the history, present, and future of its infrastructure. Read in-depth articles and watch videos that tell the tales of BART through its track, tech, trains, and more. This is Rail Tales.
Click the hyperlinked headlines to read the articles.
The story of the Transbay Tube
September 16, 1974, was a banner day in the history of the Bay Area. On this day, 50 years ago, BART’s Transbay Tube opened for passenger service.
This is the story of a modern marvel. It is also a story about people – those who ushered the Tube into existence and those who are still working to ensure it stands for generations to come. Long after all of us have departed this earth, the Tube will remain.
How we fix the 1,200-pound gear makes escalators run
Known as a bull gear, this 1,200-pound steel beast can be found in all of BART’s 175 escalators. Like its namesake, its job is to pull heavy loads, in this case, moving the belt of an escalator used by thousands of BART passengers each day.
The Machines of BART
It takes more than trains to run a railroad. Meet the maintenance machines that keep BART running.
What it takes to deep clean a BART station
It’s hard work to make BART’s well-trafficked stations sparkle and shine. Cleaners spend eight hours a night, working from 10pm to 6am, to make sure that riders travel through clean stations when the sun rises each day. They’re the late-night crew that takes care of the deep cleaning of stations – tasks that can’t be done during the day when scores of riders are passing through.
State-of-the-art Rail Inspection Vehicle gamechanger for rail maintenance
BART's new Rail Inspection Vehicle, or RIV for short, identifies potential problems along the track with very high accuracy and without obstructing regular railroad operations. The RIV utilizes hi-tech lasers, sensors, cameras, measuring systems, and data management systems to create a comprehensive profile of the track, all while traveling at speeds of up to 70 mph.
The story of BART's iconic bubble tiles
Piecing together the story of the bubbles tiles is a bit like constructing a mosaic of shards collected through the years. A tidbit or factoid comes from here, another from here, and another from here. Long a fascination for riders, the white hexagonal tiles with a domed center have been capturing the Bay Area’s attention since the opening of BART’s Powell St. and Montgomery St. stations in 1973.