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At its national conference the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) reaffirmed the BART Police Department continues to meet the standard of the group’s Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation. BART PD – which is in the process of filling 29 sworn officer vacancies this fiscal year - was already among the fewer than 6% of law enforcement agencies across the country that has earned accreditation from CALEA. This advanced accreditation places BART PD in an even smaller pool of departments and acknowledges the department’s commitment to following industry best practices, building community trust, and engaging in more than decade long commitment to reform.

“BART PD is working around the clock to ensure every rider feels safe from the moment they step into a station to the moment they arrive at their destination,” said interim BART PD Chief Kevin Franklin. “Our accreditation from CALEA wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of everyone in the department. Certification from CALEA is the gold standard for law enforcement. It shows the confidence of outside experts in the work being done by our department to continue improving, while ensuring we are keeping BART riders and workers safe across the Bay Area.”

BART PD first earned CALEA accreditation in 2019 and had to demonstrate at the conference the department has been meeting or exceeding CALEA’s standards. “We recognize that accreditation is a process, not a destination,” continued Franklin. “We are committed to continuing with the hard work to measure up to CALEA’s high standards as well as the demands of our riders who expect us to do everything we can to keep them safe every time they ride.”

BART PD earned its original CALEA accreditation as part of its more than decade long commitment to police reforms. The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) recommended in its final report issued in 2010 that BPD seek this accreditation. NOBLE conducted a top-to-bottom review of BPD after the tragic shooting death of Oscar Grant in 2009.

BART PD must prove compliance with nearly 400 standards annually as part of the Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. The comprehensive process included an on-site review by CALEA which focused on facility inspections, staff interviews, and gathering public input.

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BART Director Bevan Dufty said he was “extremely hopeful” about the upcoming year following a vote today that elected him president of the BART Board. Dufty said he will work hard to support and collaborate with the BART team to solve problems and to anticipate the challenges ahead.

“I am so proud of the work this agency does to support the Bay Area community,” President Dufty said. “I look forward to working hand in hand with the rest of the Board in 2024.”   

President Dufty was first elected to the BART Board of Directors in November 2016 and was re-elected in 2020. He represents District 9, which includes portions of San Francisco. Dufty served as president in 2019.

Director Mark Foley, who was elected vice president, said 2024 will be an exciting, but challenging year. 

“There are a lot of great things happening at the agency we should celebrate,” Vice President Foley said. “People in the Bay Area love BART and what we do. We mean so much to people and provide a crucial lifeline for people traveling to school, to doctors’ appointments, and to work.” 

Vice President Foley was first elected to the BART Board in November 2018 and was re-elected in 2022. Vice President Foley represents District 2, which includes Antioch, Brentwood, Concord (partial), and other cities and unincorporated communities in Contra Costa County. 

Vice President Foley served as board president in 2021 and vice president in 2020 and 2022. 

Watch Janice Li’s outgoing remarks as Board President, during which she highlights BART’s top accomplishments of 2023.

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An innovative community partnership initiative that leverages BART capital funding to help local agencies make it easier for riders to safely walk and bike to BART stations is awarding funding to seven projects. The Measure RR Safe Routes to BART (SR2B) grant program’s third and final cycle will provide $16 million in funding for the projects, which are located across the three counties that make up the BART District (Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco). The program is made possible through Measure RR which was approved by District voters in 2016 and provides $3.5 billion to rebuild BART’s core infrastructure to make the system safer and more reliable.

The selected projects are focused on improving bike and pedestrian connections to BART. SR2B makes the most of Measure RR dollars by using them to support projects that can offer a minimum funding match of 30% and can provide evidence of governing body support, a full funding plan, and a minimum of 35% design completion.

Here are the projects selected for Cycle 3 awards.

Project                                                                                              Safe Routes to BART funding

• Lakeside Dr/Lake Merritt Blvd. Complete Streets Paving Project              $3 million
• Clement Avenue/Tilden Way: Broadway/Tilden Intersection                     $2.1 million
• Central Embarcadero Safety Projects                                                             $1 million
• Fremont Blvd. Elevated Bikeway                                                                      $3 million
• Union City BART Pedestrian At-Grade Railroad Crossing                            $3 million
• Ohlone Greenway Modernization and Safety Project                                  $3 million
• North Bailey Road Active Transportation Corridor Project                         $0.9 million

The projects awarded SR2B funding were selected from 16 applicants. Equity was a key factor in determining the award recipients. Applicants had to show how projects would improve active access for members of disadvantaged communities. Projects were also graded on readiness, leveraged funding, connectivity, rider experience, community desire, and other factors.

Projects now completed thanks to earlier rounds of SR2B funding include the 5th Street Improvement Project which enhances access to Powell Street Station in San Francisco and the Walnut/Liberty Protected Intersection Project which makes it easier and safer for riders to walk and bike to Fremont Station.

Heading to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass at Golden Gate Park this weekend? Public transit is your best bet.

BART riders heading to Hardly Strictly from the East Bay can take a train to Powell Station. Transfer to a Muni 5 Fulton bus or 5R Fulton Rapid on Market Street and ride to Golden Park. 

BART riders coming up from San Mateo County or San Francisco can take a train to Civic Center Station and transfer to a Muni N Judah train on the upper level of the station. The N Judah train will run near Golden Gate Park on Irving and Judah Streets.

Rider Tips

Parking is free at all BART stations except Milpitas and Berryessa/North San Jose (which are operated by VTA) on Saturday, Oct. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 6. Pay for parking easily on the BART app.

Before you leave home, put Clipper card on your cellphone through either Apple Pay or Google Pay. Please ensure you have sufficient funds for a round trip. Plan at the cost of your trip in advance.

Real-time departures and train alerts can be found at bart.gov/eta or on the BART app. 

Discover more fun events happening this weekend on BARTable. 

It’s a jazzy no-traffic jam! 

Purchase advance tickets on Railgoods.com or on the day of the event. 

This October, BART Sound Tracks returns with a one-day music festival featuring some of the Bay Area’s outstanding jazz and R&B talents.  

Sound Tracks Jazz Festival, presented in partnership with SFJAZZ, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 3pm to 6pm, in the North Berkeley Station parking lot. In addition to three unique acts – SFJAZZ High School All-Stars, B DeVeaux, and Sun Hop Fat – there will be food trucks, mocktails, and BART merch for sale.  

Now in its fourth year, BART has hosted Sound Tracks at stations as part of its event and rider engagement program, which celebrates transit, activates stations, uplifts local arts and culture, and demonstrates appreciation for our communities. 

Purchase advance tickets or at the event on Railgoods.com. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn/camping chairs, picnics, awesome hats and/or low umbrellas (consider your fellow eventgoers) and your dancing shoes. Consuming alcohol, smoking/vaping, and pets (service animals excepted) are not permitted at the event. There will be parking for motor vehicles and bicycles. 

“It is thrilling to evolve Sound Tracks to a multi-artist event in partnership with longtime BARTable partner SFJAZZ,” said BART Art Program Manager Jennifer Easton. Arts and culture surround the BART system and creating an event that celebrates emerging and established local artists is a perfect opportunity to honor that and bring our community together for a great afternoon of music, dancing, and having fun.” 

“SFJAZZ is very happy to extend our collaboration with BART and to curate the BART Sound Tracks Jazz Festival at North Berkeley BART station as part of our 'SFJAZZ presents’ activities across the Bay Area and beyond,” said SFJAZZ Director of Artistic Programming Burkhard Hopper. “SFJAZZ is all about bringing the best of jazz, legends, and newcomers alike to the Bay Area. We encourage our audience to use public transportations to come to this festival and our venue in Hayes Valley.” 

Following the hugely successful Let’s Glow! Anime Festival in September and Under the Stars movie night in August, Sound Tracks will be another great opportunity to discover all the people, places and events accessible by BART as we land in Berkeley – a city known for its dynamic musicians and performance venues. BART and partner SFJAZZ, the largest nonprofit jazz presenter in the world, are bringing the focus on youth and the diversity of Bay Area music sounds that celebrate traditions and highlight innovators. 

What: Sound Tracks Music Festival, presented by BART and SFJAZZ 

When: Saturday, October 11, 3pm to 6pm 

Where: North Berkeley BART Station parking lot, 1750 Sacramento Street, Berkeley, CA 94702 

Tickets: $5 youth includes 1 youth drink (under 18), $10 adult includes 1 mocktail (18+), $24 family (2 adult + 2 youth). Youth under 5 are free. Tickets available for purchase at the event and on Railgoods.com now. 

About the performers 

The SFJAZZ High School All-Stars is a pre-professional training program for advanced musicians from the greater Bay Area. These young artists display a technical brilliance and musical maturity rarely seen in the youth ensemble arena. Each year the students perform, record, travel and participate in national festivals and competitions, and receive training and mentorship from leading jazz artists. 

B DeVeaux is a 25-year-old Neo-Soul vocalist and songwriter, who has performed both as a solo artist and in other projects all over the Bay Area and beyond, including Yerba Buena Gardens, The Breakroom at San Jose Jazz, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the Mountain Winery, the Kennedy Center and most recently Outsidelands. They will make their SFJAZZ debut this season. Hailing from Oakland, CA, DeVeaux has been singing since the age of 3. They have just released their first album, CHRYSALIS.  

Sun Hop Fat has been at the forefront of world music in the Bay Area. Their music blends the rhythms of traditional American funk and jazz with harmonies and melodies from East and West Africa. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Fèla Kuti, Mulatu Astake, and James Brown, and well steeped in the swampy sounds of New Orleans, their sounds include original compositions. This all-star band includes standout musicians from other popular San Francisco Bay Area groups including Afromassive, Harry and the Hitmen, and Smoked Out Soul.  

Whether sit down jazz crowds or igniting the get-up-and-dance vibe, Sun Hop Fat’s wide appeal garners support from diverse audiences.  

“…a steady wall of extraordinary moving sounds and beats” – San Francisco Examiner. 

The BART Board of Directors unanimously elected Mark Foley to serve as its president for the 2025 term during its meeting today, December 19, 2024. Foley served as vice president for the 2024 board term. 

Foley made a point to welcome the four new board members who took office for their first meeting. “Your fresh ideas, new perspectives, and diverse experiences are exactly what we need as we navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead,” Foley said. “I am confident that your contributions will be invaluable as we work together to shape the future of BART and public transit in our region.”

Foley will lead the BART Board during a time of unprecedented financial uncertainty. The Board of Directors and BART staff are seeking a reliable long-term funding source to replace federal and state emergency funds that are projected to run out in 2026. If unsuccessful, BART faces devastating cuts that will have serious impacts on the quality of life in the Bay Area. 

“The work ahead requires deep collaboration, and I look forward to working closely with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and our partners to develop a regional funding measure,” Foley said.

In his speech, Foley noted some exciting improvements expected in 2025, including the completion of the Next Generation Fare Gate Project, more reliable power for train service thanks to new electrical substations under construction, and progress on a new train control system to increase train frequency and reliability. 

Foley was first elected to the BART Board on November 6, 2018, and was re-elected in 2022. Foley represents District 2, which is in Contra Costa County, and includes the City of Pittsburg, the City of Antioch, the City of Brentwood, the City of Oakley, the northeastern part of the City of Concord and the northern part of the City of Martinez, as well as the unincorporated communities of Mountain View and Vine Hill. District 2 BART stations include: Antioch, Concord (shared with District 1), North Concord/Martinez, Pittsburg/Bay Point, and Pittsburg Center.

Foley previously served as Board President in 2021 and as Board Vice President in 2020 and 2023.

Director Melissa Hernandez elected as BART Board Vice President

The Board of Directors also unanimously elected District 5 Director Melissa Hernandez as Board Vice President. She is the first Latina to serve on the BART Board of Directors.

First appointed to the Board on May 23, 2024, to fill the vacancy for District 5, Hernandez was elected in November. 

District 5 is in Alameda and Contra Costa counties and includes a portion of the City of Hayward, ranging from Castro Valley Station in the north to Hayward Station in the south. It also includes the City of Pleasanton (except for a portion near Kilkare Woods), the City of Livermore, the City of Dublin, the southeastern part of San Ramon, and rural areas in east Alameda County.

Previously, Hernandez served as a City of Dublin councilmember for eight years and also served as the city’s mayor for four years until June 2024. She has chaired three regional transit boards: the Livermore-Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA), Tri Valley/San Joaquin Valley Regional Transportation Authority (Valley Link), and the Finance Committee of the Alameda County Transportation Commission. 

BART's Transit Security Advisory Committee (TSAC) is currently looking to fill several open positions and is accepting applications until May 10, 2024. 

TSAC is the citizen and community oversight committee that works to ensure Assembly Bill 716 (Dickinson) -- which allows BART Police Officers the authority to issue prohibition orders to offenders who are cited or arrested for certain offenses -- is implemented as the Legislature intended. The oversight group, comprised of at least five citizens, 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 Transit Security Advisory Committee is currently looking for the following Open Seats:

• Two (2) Alternate Committee Member Seats (for any category, no more than one alternate per category) 
  • Law Enforcement Representative
  • Mental Health Representative
  • Public-at-Large Representative
  • Youth Advocate Representative
• One (1) Law Enforcement Representative Seat
• Two (2) Public-at-Large Representative Seats

Final Filing Date – Applications are due by Friday, May 10, 2024, 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.

The legacy car is pictured on the back of a flatbed truck driving on the freeway beside a Fleet of the Future train running on the track.

There is now a BART car you can snooze in for hours without fear of missing your stop.  

After a busy career shuttling millions of passengers around the Bay, this BART car has retired to the idyllic Sierra foothills, nestled among the streams where plucky prospectors once panned for gold. And soon, you’ll be able to rent it for a peaceful, transit-forward vacation.  

Michael Lin is the mastermind of the Sierra Train House, a short-term rental featuring a decommissioned legacy BART car that will start taking reservations in 2026.  

The project, which Lin describes as “a metaphoric train station that blends the space age, modern aesthetics of BART with a cozy cabin,” is now one big step closer to completion. In mid-March, the historic A car traveled more than one hundred miles on the back of a flatbed truck from BART’s Hayward Yard to its new home in Jamestown, an old gold mining town outside of Sonora. The BART car’s journey to Jamestown was not a short ride in both miles and time. Lin first responded to BART’s call for proposals to repurpose legacy cars back in 2021. Twenty individuals and organizations submitted proposals, and Lin was one of eight selected to receive a car.  

The remaining legacy cars, which served the Bay Area for more than fifty years, were retired in 2024, then dismantled and recycled. BART is unable to keep a heritage train on property due to limited funds, storage space, and equipment needs, but is supporting the Western Railway Museum in its efforts to create a Rapid Transit History Center. The museum received its first of three legacy BART cars in August 2024.  

Michael Lin smiles in front of his legacy car at Hayward Yard on transport day. 

Once his proposal was accepted, Lin started searching for suitable homes for the car. Jamestown had the qualities he was looking for: access to outdoor activities, reservoirs, great hiking, and history. Old mining towns abound in these foothills. Though the gold is mostly gone, you still have a chance to strike it rich – a casino was recently constructed two miles down the road from Lin's property. Yosemite National Park is about 45 minutes by car.  

The Sierra Train House property backs up to railway tracks still traversed by 19th-century steam trains that carry tourists from the depot at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. “The Movie Railroad” has appeared in more than 200 films, tv shows, and commercials, beginning with the 1919 silent serial The Red Glove. The park that houses the railroad is home to an authentic roundhouse with an operating turntable, functional blacksmithing area, and a belt-driven machine shop.  

“It felt right to be near a rail town,” said Lin.  

After he purchased the property, the permitting process began, followed by some significant sprucing up of the land.  

Before the car could be delivered, Lin said the property needed a lot of tree work, and the driveway required repaving so a flatbed could drive down it. Next, foundation was laid for the car and the tiny home that will connect to it. Lin laid a couple of 39-foot-long train tracks purchased from a railway supply company onto the concrete, which the train car now rests upon.  

The less-than-1,000-square-foot tiny home has two bedrooms and one-and-a-half baths. The BART car itself will have a fine balance of “retaining its integrity but making it more intelligible,” Lin said.  

Left: A crane lowers the legacy car onto the tracks at Lin's Jamestown property. Right: The car is soldered to the tracks. 

When you enter the car from the back door, a small bedroom will be to your right. The middle of the car will include a bathroom and a room with bunkbeds. Then the front third will be an open space for hanging out, complete with a coffee table arcade game. A few days before the car delivery, Lin bought a Pong-themed table from a guy on Craigslist. Incidentally, Pong came out in 1972, the same year BART opened.  

The car’s cab will remain more or less intact. Lin wants to rig it so people can push the control panel buttons and hear BART sounds, like the horn and station announcements – “The doors are closing. Stand clear of the doors.” 

All told, the property will accommodate eight people comfortably. Lin pictures this the sort of place you stay with a group of friends or families, which will also help keep the cost down. This is a unique rental, Lin stressed, and it will be pricier than a run-off-the-mill accommodation, though he wants to make sure it’s still accessibly priced. He’s not sure exactly how much he’ll charge for a stay.  

But it will be worth the price, Lin said. H has even more plans for the property, including activities like a bocce ball court and foot bridges constructed from rail.  

A financial advisor by day, Lin studied architecture as an undergrad at UC Berkeley and is a serious tinkerer, especially with Lego. Residents will see some of Lin’s Lego art inside the Sierra Train House. 

The Sierra Train House is the definition of a labor of love, and Lin intends to build the property so that it lasts for a hundred years and beyond, just like the Railtown nearby. History, he said, is not something he takes lightly.  

“I have a sense of responsibility to preserve this train car,” Lin said. “It’s neat to save a train.”  

Keep up with the progress of the Sierra Train House on Instagram and Facebook. 

 

 

 

 

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BART will exclusively run Fleet of the Future trains for the base schedule as part of its reimagined schedule launch on September 11th. This change represents a big improvement in the rider experience as well as on-time performance. Without this change, BART would be running legacy cars in service well into 2024. Legacy trains may still be spotted here and there, but only as event trains or for contingencies.

The new trains are much more reliable than legacy trains, as evidenced by the most recent Quarterly Performance Report (QPR). The QPR for April through June, shows the Mean Time Between Service delays for the new cars are more than double the length for that of the legacy cars; in other words, the new trains operate for more than twice as long before service delays.

Using exclusively new trains for the base schedule is possible because BART is kicking off a new plan to size trains for safety and efficiency. 

“Our new cars are cleaner, require less maintenance, have better quality surveillance cameras, and offer a better customer experience with automated next stop displays and announcements," said BART Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost. “Feedback from our riders on the Fleet of the Future cars has been profusely positive so offering more new car rides is a great accomplishment in customer service.”

BART will hold a proper public retirement ceremony for the legacy fleet to mark their final run in service at a later date (likely in 2024).  

^ Bach in the Subways kicked off on March 21 at Downtown Berkeley Station ^

Bach in the Subways performance schedule at BART stations (subject to change):

Performance schedule is subject to change and will be updated. You may also view the schedule on Bach in the Subways' website. Don't see your performance below? Email [email protected]. 

Thursday, March 21, 4pm to 6pm, Downtown Berkeley Station: performance by youths from Junior Bach Festival

Thursday, March 21, 4pm to 6pm, Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza: Two violins perform Bach and other music

Friday, March 22, noon to 1pm, Rockridge BART Plaza: Solo trombone performance by Zachariah Friesen

Saturday, March 23, noon to 12:30pm, North Berkeley Station: Parts from the first Cello Suites on octave mandolin

Sunday, March 24, 10:10am to 10:20am, Downtown Berkeley Station: Six-year-old Levi P. plays Minuet in C and Minuet No. 2

Wednesday, March 27, 4:30pm to 5:45pm, Ashby Stations: Saxophone performance by Brian L.

Thursday, March 28, 1pm to 1:30pm, Powell St. Station: Flute duet by M & L Flutes 

Friday, March 29, 4pm to 4:20pm, Downtown Berkeley Station: Solo soprano saxophone plays Sonata in A Minor

Saturday, March 30, noon to 1pm, Powell St. Station: Brassavola Brass Quintet (trumpets, tubas, French horn, trombone)

Saturday, March 30, 2:30pm to 3pm, Montgomery St. Station: Three to four youth play Bach and other music on violins

About Bach in the Subways:

BART invites local musicians to join us and Bach in the Subways for a worldwide celebration of Johann Sebastian Bach and his enduring music from March 21 to 31.‬ Bringing music to our stations and holding more events around the system is part of our strategy to activate stations and improve the customer experience.  

Come listen to the music in the free areas of select stations or sign up to play music yourself (more info on that below). The Performance Schedule can be found here and below. We'll be updating it as people sign up. 

Bach in the Subways is an international celebration of the German Baroque composer, whose prolific body of work in the early and mid-18th century has been cherished through the centuries. Bach in the Subways was started organically by New York City-based musician Dale Henderson in 2010 and has grown into musicians playing Bach in public spaces, like subway stations, in 150 cities across 40 countries.  

‪If you want to perform at a station, there are 3 quick steps to follow:‬ 

1) Register here.  
‪2) Apply for BART's free Expressive Activity Permit‬.  
‪3) Show up with your permit and play! 

For participating musicians, BART requires that they not affix any signs on the walls, do not use amplified music, and only perform in non-paid areas of the stations. Bach in the Subways requires that participating musicians not solicit tips or accept any money as it is meant to be a shared gift of musical joy. Read more about requirements and guidelines here.