Search

This past Saturday, April 20, BART fans caught a final ride on the trains all of us will soon miss. Thousands of people, many wearing their favorite BART outfits, including those they made themselves, came to MacArthur Station to bid adieu to the historic legacy fleet and take their last ride on the 51.5-year-old trains. The event included a celebration in the station plaza, a retirement ceremony, and a final journey aboard three legacy trains brought from the yard just for the day. Some people traveled from outside the state just to attend the event. 

“I’m coming out here to pay my respects to an old friend that I’ve been missing these last few weeks," said one rail fan who arrived over an hour early to the event. “It’s going to be sad to see it go, but it’s nice to know I’ll be here for its final moments.” 

In the plaza, throngs of BART fans enjoyed food trucks and activities, including a stamp rally, as well as a raffle for legacy car number plates. There was also a Railgoods popup shop so folks could top off their collections of BART merch and purchase the latest product offerings, including a shirt made specifically for the day. 

The party in the plaza was followed by a ceremony opened by BART Board President Bevan Dufty and including remarks by General Manager Bob Powers, FTA Region 9 Regional Administrator Ray Tellis, and BART Chief of Police Kevin Franklin. There were also representatives from groups who will receive legacy cars after successfully submitting proposals to repurpose the vehicles, including the Western Railway Museum, which is establishing a Rapid Transit History Center that will include three legacy BART cars; the Sierra Train House, a forthcoming residence and short-term rental in the Sierra Foothills constructed from a BART car; and the Original Scraper Bike Team, who will use a car for a bike shop, providing free repairs and bike repair lessons to local youth, as well as a clubhouse for community events and the organization's mentorship program.  

At the end of the ceremony, it was time for the last hurrah aboard the legacy trains. Incredibly, the line to get on a train was so long it reached MacArthur Boulevard. Despite the line, everyone was able to get onboard a train. 

The trip ran from MacArthur to Fremont Station – the reverse of BART’s inaugural run in 1972. Some of the cars in service for that momentous day were hauling passengers for this last ride, more than fifty years after their wheels first touched rail. 

After the trains reached Fremont, they rode off into the sunset and came to rest at BART’s Hayward Yard. A crowd on the station platform at Fremont, their cameras rolling, was there to see them off. 

The BART Board of Directors is currently in the process of recruiting a Public-At-Large appointee for the BART Police Citizen Review Board (BPCRB).

The BPCRB is comprised of 11 members and residents of the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and San Francisco. The Public-At-Large position is appointed by all nine BART directors. 

Members of the BPCRB work to increase the public's confidence in BART's policing services by:

• Reviewing, recommending, and monitoring the implementation of changes to police policies, procedures, and practices
• Receiving citizen allegations of on-duty police misconduct
• Advising Board of Directors, General Manager, Independent Police Auditor, and Police Chief
• Participating in recommending appropriate disciplinary action
• Meeting periodically with representatives of the BART Police associations
• Participating in community outreach

Submit an e-application or download the printable application.

Application period opens Monday, Nov. 18, and closes on Friday, December 20, 2024.

Call (510) 464-6083 or email [email protected]  with questions.

BPCRB Recruitment Flyer - Public-At-Large

General BPCRB information (.doc)

Some of the winners from our BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest will be participating in the Bay Area Book Festival's free and family-friendly Outdoor Fair this Sunday, June 2 in Berkeley.

Festivalgoers can stop by our table to write a BART “flash” poem with our award-winning poets. Every flash poem writer gets a BART prize. Several of the teen poetry contest winners along with Youth Speaks Brave New Voices team members will be reading their BART Lines poems at the table throughout the day. We’ll be tabling at the Outdoor Fair in the Family Fun Zone - booth 106.

We’ll also be selling our hot-off-the-presses BART Lines chapbook. Be the first to get your hands on a copy and get it signed by one of the teen poets whose work is featured in the collection. The one-of-a-kind books will be for sale on railgoods.com after the event.

The Outdoor Fair runs from 11am to 4pm in MLK Jr/Civic Center Park in Downtown Berkeley, and the BART station is just a 3-minute walk from the festivities. More info here. See you there!

BART is currently accepting applications to fill several seats on the Transit Security Advisory Committee (TSAC) until June 4, 2025. 

BART Police Officers have the authority to issue prohibition orders to offenders who are cited or arrested for certain offenses. The TSAC is the community oversight group comprised of at least five members of the public , that serves as a volunteer review body for the implementation of BART’s prohibition policy.

Board-appointed members of TSAC are professionals in the areas of mental health, homelessness, public safety and youth advocacy and cultural awareness. Drawing from their private and public sector experiences, the committee brings a diverse set of skills to the review and execution of the prohibition policy. The advisory committee reports directly to the BART Board of Directors.

BART is currently accepting applications for the following seats on the Transit Security Advisory Committee:

• One (1) Alternate Committee Member Seat (for any category, no more than one alternate per category)
  • Law Enforcement Representative
  • Mental Health Representative
  • At-Large Representative
• One (1) Mental Health Representative
• One (1) Law Enforcement Representative Seat
• Three (3) At-Large Representative Seats
• One (1) Youth Advocates Representative Seat

Final Filing Date – Applications are due by Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 5:00 P.M. (PST)

Please download the application here and return the application form and relevant attachments to the BART Office of the District Secretary at:

2150 Webster Street, 10th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612

Applications may also be emailed to [email protected] 

You may also submit your application using DocuSign by clicking on the following link: E-Application

Please feel free to call the Office of the District Secretary at (510) 464-6083 with any questions.

As part of it’s ongoing commitment to making BART the Bay Area’s safest way to travel, the BART Police Department is pursuing an aggressive recruiting campaign to fill 28 officer vacancies. The announcement comes after the BART Board of Directors unanimously approved an agreement that increased BPD officer salaries to make them competitive with other Bay Area law enforcement agencies. BPD salaries had previously been 19% below the market average for 10 comparable jurisdictions.

“We are pulling out all stops to fill our current officer vacancies and continue our progress toward making BART the safest way to travel the Bay Area,” said interim Police Chief Kevin Franklin." Competitive pay is essential to attracting the top officer candidates, and we believe this pay increase will help BPD attract excellent candidates. We also offer state-of-the-art equipment and training, an array of special assignments, and an unmatched commitment to community policing across the Bay Area.”
           
BART General Manager Bob Powers and the BART Board have committed to adding 19 additional new officer positions once BPD fills all its current vacancies. 

“We are putting our money where our mouth is when it comes to ensuring the safety of our riders,” said Powers. “In addition to our success adding Crisis Intervention Specialists and Transit Ambassadors, these new sworn BPD officers represent an important investment in the safety and security of the BART system that the Bay Area demands, and we will provide. We know that by filling these vacancies through the duration of 2023, as well as adding additional, highly-trained BPD positions, we will ensure BART is safer and cleaner for all our riders.”

BPD has set a goal of hiring 6 officers a month starting in August. The department has hired 19 officers so far this year including 4 that are set to graduate from academy this month.

BPD has streamlined its hiring procedures to ensure qualified candidates move swiftly through the process. The department’s latest recruitment open house in July was a great success. It attracted 65 prospects and 21 applied on the spot to take BPD’s written exam and physical agility test.

BPD has had success hiring non-sworn Crisis Intervention Specialists (CIS) and Transit Ambassadors. BPD has filled 19 of its 20 CIS positions and 9 of its 10 Ambassador spots. These unarmed BPD staff play a vital role in helping the department to boost its visible safety presence in the system. They receive de-escalation training and work in coordination with sworn officers.

Officer candidates can learn more about working for BPD at the department’s employment page. The site allows prospects to text a recruiter so they can speak live to staff about applying with the department.

BART will provide four trains with limited stops before regular BART service begins for the Bay to Breakers event on Sunday, May 19, 2024. The special service will get race participants to Embarcadero around 7am.

The special early morning event trains will pick up passengers for an Embarcadero arrival with limited service from the following peninsula stations; Millbrae, Daly City, and 16th Street Mission in San Francisco and from the East Bay; West Oakland, MacArthur, Pleasant Hill, El Cerrito del Norte, Bay Fair, and Dublin stations. These stations will be the only stations opened early for service.

These four trains will go out of service once they drop riders off at Embarcadero. Riders cannot board a train at Embarcadero. 

Special Service Details

• One train will leave Millbrae at 6:30am and will stop at Daly City at 6:43am, 16th Street Mission at 6:53am and then Embarcadero at 6:58am. No other stops will be made along the line.
• A second train will leave Pleasant Hill at 6:24am and will stop at MacArthur at 6:43am, West Oakland at 6:52am and then Embarcadero at 6:58am. No other stops will be made along the line.
• A third train will leave Dublin at 6:18am and will stop at Bay Fair at 6:35am, West Oakland at 6:55am, and then Embarcadero at 7:01am. No other stops will be made along the line.
• A fourth train will leave El Cerrito del Norte at 6:36am and will stop at MacArthur at 6:49am, West Oakland at 6:58am and then Embarcadero at 7:04am. No other stops will be made along the line.

Regular systemwide BART service starts at around 8am.

Tips

BART parking is free on Sundays. People driving to BART to take the train should park at one of these stations being served: Pleasant Hill, El Cerrito del Norte, MacArthur, Bay Fair, West Oakland, Daly City, and Millbrae. 16th Street Mission does not have a BART parking lot.

BART has loaded these event trains as special service to the Trip Planner.

Once on the platform, these four trains will be labelled as: “Limited Stop to Embarcadero.”

Load your Clipper card in advance with enough funds for the round trip.

If you don’t have a Clipper card, add one for free ($3 savings) to your phone’s wallet in advance and use Google Pay or Apple Pay.