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Each year,  Engineers Week provides an opportunity to celebrate the problem-solvers who shape the world around us. This includes the hundreds of BART engineers bringing to life ambitious projects that are redefining how the Bay Area moves. From advanced train control systems to strengthened electrical infrastructure, BART’s engineers are enacting the theme of this year’s Engineers Week – Transform Your Future – every single day. 

BART's engineering workforce spans dozens of specialties, from civil and structural to traction power and construction management, fostering a collaborative environment where diverse expertise comes together to tackle large-scale challenges. Their work ensures the system remains safe, resilient, and ready for what's to come.  

“Engineers are at the heart of everything we do at BART,” said General Manager Bob Powers, a Professional Engineer himself. “Their work doesn’t just improve BART operations – it strengthens communities and ensures that everyone who lives here has access to enriching opportunities and experiences.”  

“BART’s engineers are truly an elite group of puzzle solvers driven by a passion for making a difference for the Bay Area” said Sylvia Lamb, Assistant General Manager for Infrastructure Delivery.  “They leverage industry expertise to deliver safe reliable service for today’s passengers while maintaining an innovative vision for transforming tomorrow’s.” 

What are BART engineers working on? Keep reading to hear about some of the exciting projects happening around the system.  

Next Generation Fare Gates 

BART recently completed installation of its Next Generation Fare Gates at all stations, modernizing fare control equipment for the first time in decades.  

The new gates feature advanced sensors, improved accessibility for people using wheelchairs, bikes, and strollers, and a more secure, durable design that helps deter fare evasion while improving passenger flow. The systemwide rollout was completed ahead of schedule and is already enhancing reliability and the overall rider experience. BART engineers are now using the fare gate’s advanced sensors to optimize their performance. 

Communications-Based Train Control

One of the most ambitious efforts underway is Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC), which will replace BART’s legacy fixed-block signal system with a modern, communications-based platform. The project represents a generational upgrade to rail operations, fundamentally changing how the agency manages train movement, capacity, and reliability for decades to come. By allowing trains to operate more precisely and closer together, CBTC will increase throughput through the busiest parts of the system, including the transbay corridor, helping deliver more frequent and dependable service. 

Implementing the technology requires installing new trackside communications equipment, onboard systems, and advanced control software while maintaining daily passenger service. It is widely considered one of the most ambitious signaling modernizations in U.S. transit and showcases the scale and technical complexity of BART’s engineering work. 

Traction Power Cable Replacement 

Behind every BART trip is a vast electrical network that supplies power to the trains. BART’s traction power cable replacement program is renewing aging 34.5kV sub-transmission cables that distribute electricity from substations to traction power facilities across the system. 

Replacing these decades-old cables improves reliability, increases capacity, and reduces the risk of service disruptions, ensuring trains have the consistent power needed to provide continuous and frequent service. The new cables will also be used for traction power substation control and to monitor other vital BART assets. 

Investing in the Next Generation of Engineers 

The 2025 BART Engineering Interns are pictured at BART HQ. From left to right: Israel Banez, Alexa Banuelos, Thi Phan, Kevin Nguyen, Miguel Coronado, Kai Gottschalk, Devine Pritchard, Aidan Tamayo, Gianna Pietro, Yonas Isaak Mussie, Alexandro Silva. 

Engineers Week is also about inspiring future problem-solvers. BART’s Engineering Internship Program provides paid, hands-on opportunities for college students and recent graduates to work directly with staff engineers on active capital, maintenance, and a wide range of other engineering projects and initiatives. Interns gain experience in areas such as design support, field inspections, construction coordination, data analysis, and systems testing, and the opportunity to apply core engineering principles and contribute to real-world improvements across stations, track, power, and train control. Five engineering interns who participated in the 2025 program were later hired full-time as Junior Engineers.

Students interested in learning more can visit bart.gov/internships. The application period will open this spring.  

On Thursday, Feb. 26, the BART Board of Directors initially approved an Alternative Service Plan outlining specific budget balancing details to solve a $376M deficit for the next fiscal year if no new funds become available to BART. BART is facing a structural deficit of $350M to $400M because ridership is still down 50% compared to pre-pandemic levels and BART’s current funding model relies heavily on passenger fares. 

The plan includes specific cuts and financial strategies needed to balance both the FY27 (July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027) and FY28 (July 1, 2027-June 30, 2028) budgets. The plan includes service cuts, station closures, fare increases, a 40% reduction in system support services, laying off 1,200 employees, and a series of deferrals and one-time resources. The plan does not name specific stations to be closed and makes clear the BART Board will be responsible for all decisions on station closures. You can read the Alternative Service Plan resolution, resolution attachment, and presentation to the BART Board.

BART has already made budget cuts across all departments and instituted a series of cost controls, including rightsizing service, labor savings, operational efficiencies, and reducing BART’s office space footprint. At the same time, BART has also worked to increase revenue by installing new fare gates, leasing out BART parking lots, and offering new fare products such as Clipper BayPass. View a detailed list of cost savings implement by BART at bart.gov/fiscalcliff. 

Alternative Service Plan Details 

To take place in January 2027: 

• 3-line service (Yellow, Blue, and Orange line service only, with limited peak service in only the peak commute direction on the Red and Green lines). 
• 30-minute frequencies on every line.  
• Closing at 9pm seven days a week.  
• This service plan represents a 63% reduction in train hours. 
• 30% fare and parking fee increases (the estimated average fare would increase from $4.98 to $6.38). 
• Target approximately $30M in savings over 6 months from non-service budget reductions to fleet and non-fleet maintenance, police, cleaning, and administrative support functions. 
• Continue deferrals of priority capital allocations and retiree medical contributions. 
• Balance remainder of FY27 with one-time resources and financial deferrals. 

Following the January 2027 cuts, staff will continuously assess ridership and revenue impacts and the performance of all District functions to determine if further reductions can be safely and legally implemented. 

To take place in July 2027 if feasibly safe: 

• Target over $175M in annual cost reductions through a cumulative 70% reduction in service hours: 
• Maintain 3-line service, 30-minute frequencies on each line, closing at 9pm. 
• Close up to 15 stations and/or up to 25% of system track miles. 
• The BART Board will be responsible for all decisions on station or line segment closures. 
• Increase fares and parking fees up to a cumulative 50%. The estimated average fare would increase to $7.26. 
• Target annual operating expense savings of more than a cumulative $130M from non-service budget reductions to fleet and non-fleet maintenance, police, cleaning, and administrative support functions. 
• Continue to defer retiree health contributions; defer most remaining capital allocations. 

Contingency: 

• If at any point it is determined BART can’t safely or legally operate with available resources, stop passenger service, 
• Use existing District tax revenues to secure system assets. 
• Work to determine system’s future. 

Use of the State Loan  

BART can’t use state loan money to avoid station closures and service cuts if no new revenue becomes available because without new revenue, there is no way to pay the loan back. The state loan primarily helps with cash flow if a November 2026 transit funding measure is successful. It is a bridge loan that gives BART reassurances money will be available to continue to deliver the best service possible until the sales tax dollars from the successful ballot measure become available for BART’s use. This is projected to happen in July 2027 but could take longer. If a funding measure succeeds, BART will use $97M in loan funds to help balance the FY27 budget.  

BART’s Let’s Glow! BART Anime Festival returned to Warm Springs/South Fremont Station for a celebration of anime, art, music, cosplay and transit fandom. This year’s free festival was bigger and better than ever, following a huge turnout of more than 4,000 attendees in 2025! 

The festival celebrates the shared fandom of anime and transit, with an expanded lineup of artists, performances, food, cosplay, and more. 

Get to know BART’s anime mascots at bart.gov/anime.  

Details 

• What: Let’s Glow! BART Anime Festival  
• When: Saturday, September 19, 4pm to 9pm  
• Where: Warm Springs/South Fremont Station  
• RSVP on Eventbrite at letsglowfestival.eventbrite.com. Not required but helps us get a headcount.  
• Free to attend 

We also now have a fan made interactive map! https://alley.moe/events/lets-glow-2026/ 

What to expect 

• Artist Alley: 100 artists will sell a mix of BART, anime-, and transit-themed art, along with their own original artwork. Check out the artist alley catalog here: https://lg26.notion.site/
  
  Tip: We recommend arriving prepared with a list of tables you want to visit! Help us keep lines moving - please have your order & payment method ready when you get to the front of the line.
•  
• Music and performances: AniClover will DJ for us, and SanFlare will perform wotagei, a high-energy style of synchronized fan dancing. SanFlare will teach attendees the official BART wotagei dance. Local DJs chiii, DJ AJL, Spiritsnare feat. Majoriin from Trademark, Kataoka, Capturelight, DatGai will have tunes running all night.
• Special Youtaite concert: An exclusive VTuber concert produced by Neon Shrine featuring J-pop and Vocaloid cover artists JubyPhonic, Rachie, and Lizz Robinett. It all starts at 7:15pm on the Neon Stage (do not line up earlier than 7:00pm.)
• Railgoods: Shop BART and BART anime mascot merchandise, including new and exclusive products available at the festival. Find our current BART anime merch here. 
• Food truck village: Boba + exclusive drinks, desserts, and an array of cuisines from food trucks across the Bay Area. Stop by Creative Sips & Ume Tea for am exclusive coaster and our event drinks: Baylee’s GOATed Berry-essa Special, Jasmine’s Sweetest Matcha ♡, Nimbus' Citrus of the Skies, and Mira's Transbay Taro Tea.
• Trinket & freebie trading: Gachapon Pals will be managing tables for freebies, trinket trading, and stamps! Bring your trinkets to trade, freebies to share, and collect exclusive event stamps!
• Itasha cars & manga truck: Anime-themed cars and vehicles will be on display with Dreamscape. The Manga Truck bring tons of free manga to read at the event.
• Community tables: Discover local happenings, conventions, and fan clubs. Kin-Yoobi Con (happening on Sunday), FanimeCon, OffKai Expo, Bay Area Hoshiyomis, Cal Animage Alpha/Anime Destiny, Tri-City Ecology, and Gamers Heaven will be tabling.
• Indie Game Showcase: Discover fun games created by local game developers. Hosted by BAD Collective.

Cosplay and win prizes 

Start planning your outfit now! This year we are hosting a cosplay contest with prizes, including a special category for anyone cosplaying as one of BART’s anime mascots. See the cosplay contest details and guidelines here.  

Cosplay seminar: Crafty Sorceress will answer your cosplay questions and show attendees how to dress as BART’s anime mascots. Check out their cosplay guides for Baylee, Nimbus, Jasmine and Mira. Cosplay seminar: At 6pm on the Neon Stage.

No prop weapons: This event has a zero-tolerance policy for prop weapons of any kind and material. Leave them at home. There is no peace bonding station. Any prop weapons or accessories that need to be peace bonded should not be brought. 

Take BART to Let’s Glow! and receive exclusive giveaway  

Parking at Warm Springs/South Fremont Station will be extremely limited, so attendees are encouraged to park at nearby BART stations and take BART to the festival. Free parking is available at Fremont and Union City stations, and paid parking is available at Milpitas and Berryessa/North San Jose stations. Learn more about parking at nearby BART stations.  

As a special bonus, anyone who takes BART to the event can receive an exclusive BART anime giveaway. 

Come celebrate anime, art, music, cosplay and transit fandom with thousands of fellow fans. Let’s Glow!

December ridership rose 13.5% year over year, capping a year of steady growth for BART. 

The ridership gains reflect the continued impact of the New BART experience, a systemwide focus on customer experience improvements. Recent investments in safety, cleanliness, and innovative offerings, such as Next Generation Clipper and a new BART App integration with Uber, are helping strengthen rider confidence and bring people back to the system.  

Even with these gains, ridership growth alone won’t solve BART’s budget shortfalls. While most riders have returned to BART, they are riding less frequently, resulting in fewer trips. The Bay Area has the highest work-from-home rates in the nation, and BART ridership closely mirrors office occupancy. 

Each 5% increase in ridership translates to about $13 million a year in new revenue, and to close BART's ongoing structural financial deficit of $350-$400 million with just fare revenue, ridership would need to more than double.  

Highlights from the December Ridership Snapshot: 

• Weekend ridership showed a steady increase this December, in keeping with 2025 trends. Saturday ridership in December rose 23% year over year, while Sunday ridership increased nearly 13%, underscoring the system’s expanding role in leisure, airport, and non-work travel. 
• 13% of all BART trips were taken using Tap and Ride, which allows riders to pay by tapping a contactless credit or debit card at the fare gates. Usage climbed toward the end of the month as travelers and casual riders hopped onboard around the holidays. Ridership at SFO Station alone increased 14% compared with December 2024. 
• On December 10, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission began the rollout of Next Generation Clipper, a fare payment system upgrade that expanded Tap and Ride to all Clipper agencies and introduced additional improvements, including free or discounted transfers between operators and enhanced online account management at clippercard.com. 20% of all free or discounted transfers in the Bay Area included a leg on BART in December, and two-thirds of all Tap and Ride trips were on BART, reinforcing BART’s role as the backbone of the regional transit network. 
• BART trips using Clipper BayPass increased 157% year over year as more employers, schools, and housing providers adopted the all-in-one transit pass for employees, students, and residents. Nineteen organizations are enrolled in Clipper BayPass, as of January 2026. 
• Clipper START usage grew by nearly 40% in December compared to a year ago. Clipper Senior trips increased by more than 10%. 

Additional ridership data is published monthly at bart.gov/about/reports/ridership. 

BART is pleased to announce it will host its 2024 Small Business Summit event on Monday, April 29th, 2024 on the first floor of its headquarters located at 2150 Webster St. in Oakland.

Attendees will have the opportunity to hear tips from small business owners who have been awarded BART contracts, network with prime contractors, hear about upcoming contracts, learn about BART’s equity program and certifications process and learn about resources available to small businesses from community partners and other regional transit agencies.

BART is committed to ensuring that small businesses are afforded equal opportunities to participate on District contracts and agreements. Small businesses include Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, Disadvantage Veteran Business Enterprises, Minority-Owned Business Enterprises, Women-Owned Business Enterprises and Micro Small Business Entities.

Representatives from several departments and groups at BART will be available at the event to answer questions about upcoming contracts, programs and resources for small businesses. These include representatives from BART’s Infrastructure Delivery and Procurement departments along with staff from BART’s Office of Civil Rights and Small Business Support Services. April 29-May 3 is National Small Business Week. Visit bart.gov/ocr for a list of scheduled events during the week.   

Registration is preferred for BART’s 2024 Small Business Summit. Here are event details:

Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 
Location: 2150 Webster Street, Oakland CA 94612 (1st floor)
Time: 12:30-3:30 PM 

 Here is the event schedule:

• 12:30 -1:00 PM: Registration 
• 1:00 - 1:30 PM: Opening Remarks 
• 1:30 - 2:00 PM: Small Business Success Stories Panel 
• 2:00 - 3:30 PM: Networking between BART Staff, Primes, Small Businesses and Public Transit Agencies 

 Please register at the link here!