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A sea of BART holiday sweaters swarmed the plaza at Rockridge Station for BART’s SweaterFest ‘24 this past Saturday. 

Joy was in abundance as hundreds of people descended upon the station to celebrate the season with a BART twist. And it wasn’t just humans who came to party with the Bay’s biggest transit fans – a spirited snowman, an energetic gingerbread man, and even Chewbacca made appearances.  

Charlie Barreda & Friends played holiday jams for the crowd and Full Belly Bakery served delicious desserts as attendees bought their BART holiday merch from Railgoods and explored the myriad activities stationed around the plaza.  

BART fans young and old crafted wreaths with old paper tickets, took photos in front of a BART holiday wonderland backdrop, got a fresh stamp for their BART Stamp Passports, and wrote odes to BART at the poetry booth.

Didn’t make it to SweaterFest? 

There’s still time to buy a sweater, scarf, and beanie (the sweater vests are sold out). Head to Railgoods.com to get your BART holiday swag! 

Bay Area transit agencies have been syncing schedules in a whole new way to make riding transit even faster. Transit agencies from across the region are updating their schedules at the same time in mid-August to significantly improve transfer reliability and timing. With these changes, transit riders who use more than one system will see a variety of improvements across the Bay Area this month, saving some riders as much as 20 minutes on their trips.  

This is the third iteration of a coordinated Big Sync in the Bay Area. Agencies meet several months in advance of each schedule change to share planned changes and to look for opportunities to improve transfers. 

Four transfer hubs get schedule overhauls 

After a thorough analysis of potential high-impact improvements benefiting the greatest number of riders, four specific locations where riders transfer from one system to another were prioritized for changes to maximize efficiency: 

• Dublin/Pleasanton BART
• Daly City BART
• Palo Alto Caltrain
• Concord BART 

These transfer hubs involved the coordination of BART, Muni, SamTrans, Caltrain, VTA, Dumbarton Express, Stanford Marguerite, Tri Delta Transit, County Connection, StanRTA, and LAVTA’s Wheels.  

In all, 18 bus routes at the four hub locations were tweaked to improve transfer connections with BART, Caltrain, and with each other. For these 18 routes, this effort achieves a 33% increase in weekday ideal transfers, most commonly between 5-10 minutes, and a 47% increase in weekend ideal transfers.  

When a transfer window is too short, riders must sprint to make their connection, or worse, they just miss it and have a long wait. This effort achieves a 23% decrease in weekday transfers that are too short and a 36% decrease in weekday transfers that are too long. 

Advancing schedule change alignment is a key priority for Bay Area transit general managers, who meet on a weekly basis to make transit more rider-focused and efficient.   

“The Big Sync was born from the idea that while we are separate agencies by name, we all work as one to serve the region,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers, who leads a Monday morning call with all operators with a focus on coordination and transformational improvements.  “Bay Area transit agencies are maximizing our limited resources by working collaboratively to speed up travel times across the region and make it easier to ride the bus, train, or ferry.”   

View this map as a pdf

Some of the biggest travel time savings from this Big Sync include: 

Peninsula Travel Time Improvements 

• Riders from the Peninsula coastside to Millbrae will on average save 20 minutes in the morning peak and will save 14 minutes returning in the evening peak for those who take SamTrans #117, SamTrans #110, and BART.
• Riders from the Peninsula coastside to Downtown San Francisco will on average save 17 minutes in the morning peak and on average save 14 minutes returning in the evening peak for those who take SamTrans #117 or SamTrans #110, and BART.
• Midday riders from Union City to San Mateo will save 3 minutes in the westbound direction and 19 minutes in the eastbound direction for those who take Dumbarton Express and Caltrain beginning in September.  

East Bay Travel Time Improvements 

• Riders from East Dublin to Downtown San Francisco will save 17 minutes in the morning peak for riders who take LAVTA’s Wheels #2 and BART.
• Riders from Pleasanton to Downtown San Francisco will on average save 15 minutes in the morning peak for riders who take LAVTA’s Wheels #8 and BART.
• Riders from Livermore to Downtown San Francisco  will save 17 minutes in the morning peak for riders who take LAVTA’s Wheels #10R and BART. 

Other transit service coordination efforts for August include:  

• BART trains will have a longer dwell time at Millbrae Station for improved reliability of Caltrain and SamTrans connections.
• BART trains will have a longer dwell time at Dublin Station for improved LAVTA Wheels connections.
• BART will have more even train spacing between the Orange & Green lines from Berryessa to Richmond for improved connections with VTA, AC Transit, and Union City Transit bus service.
• Muni is offering more morning service on the 49 Van Ness/Mission, 30x Marina Express and 1x California Express that connect to BART and the Salesforce Transit Center based on feedback from their riders.
• VTA’s 500 bus at Berryessa BART will shift to align with BART’s new schedule.
• County Connection Route 35 at Dublin/Pleasanton BART will shift to align with the new BART schedule. In June, County Connection implemented changes to weekend routes 310, 314, and 320 to improve bus-bus connections at Concord BART.
• AC Transit has updated 104 bus lines as part of the all-new Realign network. Realign brings a range of improvements, including coordinated scheduling to support smoother transfers to BART and expanded service for better connections with Golden Gate Transit. Developed over two years with an equity focus, Realign right-sizes their bus network to address fiscal challenges while remaining flexible to meet the evolving travel needs of East Bay riders.
• Tri Delta Transit is making changes to several routes to better align with BART, County Connection, and WestCAT as part of a new “TDT Network” revitalized system update, with feedback from their riders, offering more frequent, efficient, and faster service.
• SamTrans is updating schedules for routes 110, 121, SKY and PCX in the Daly City area to better align with BART arrivals and departures. Farther down on the Peninsula, routes 280 and 281 will shift to better connect with Caltrain service at the Palo Alto Transit Center.
• Caltrain continues to work and meet with BART, VTA, and SamTrans to improve transfers. By sharing data and rider patterns with our partners, we were able to collaboratively sync up several routes that connect at the Palo Alto Transit Center and Caltrain Station, greatly reducing travel times. Because of that, ideal transfer connections have jumped from 44 to 146 and those that were too long or too short have dropped from 106 to just a couple dozen. 

Updated 6/18/26

BART is getting ready for FIFA World Cup 2026 to kick off in the Bay Area and is pleased to offer fans special limited-express service after midnight for matches that start at 8pm and 9pm. 

On Tuesday, June 9, Bay Area transit leaders from BART, Muni, Caltrain, Capitol Corridor, and VTA came together for a press conference at Powell Street Station to urge fans to take advantage of their special service offerings. Agencies are coordinating efforts and scheduling to ensure a world-class transportation experience and to have service available for all fans regardless of when matches end. Unlike many rail systems around the country, BART will not be implementing surge pricing for FIFA. Riders will pay the regular fare. 

For the 8pm FIFA World Cup matches on Friday, June 19, and Monday, June 22, BART is offering fans special late-night service after midnight to get riders home. These late-night matches will put fans onto trains during a time BART is usually closed. Fans must begin their trips at Bay Fair, Dublin, MacArthur, El Cerrito del Norte, Fremont, Hayward, Pleasant Hill, Powell Street, South Hayward, Union City, or Warm Springs/South Fremont stations. All other stations are closed after midnight. BART also offered extra late-night service for the 9pm match on June 16.  

Fans should use Tap and Ride to pay directly at the fare gate by tapping your credit/debit card or mobile payment. Each person needs their own phone/card. No transit card/ticket is required. 

BART is bolstering our staff and security presence and running longer trains. BART will also deploy extra lighting at key station parking lots to enhance safety for fans returning from evening matches. 

Find BART’s comprehensive guide to FIFA World Cup 2026 transportation, including directions for taking transit to fan zones, watch parties, and other events, at bart.gov/fifa  

Special Limited-Express Service After Midnight for Evening Matches 

BART will run special limited-express service after midnight for matches that start at 8pm and 9pm.  

The last scheduled BART train that stops at all stations systemwide leaves Milpitas at 11:53pm towards the East Bay and San Francisco. The last scheduled BART train to Berryessa Station is 1:47am.  

BART will add the following special event trains after midnight that will be timed with the last VTA trains coming from the stadium. There is not a timetable for these departure times because it depends on how long it takes to clear the stadium and get to BART on VTA. But overall, they will likely depart Milpitas every 30 minutes between 12:30am-1:40am.   

These special event trains WILL NOT STOP AT ALL BART STATIONS. The trains will only serve Bay Fair, Dublin/Pleasanton, MacArthur, El Cerrito del Norte, Fremont, Hayward, Pleasant Hill, Powell Street, South Hayward, Union City, and Warm Springs/South Fremont stations. 

People taking BART to the stadium and driving to park at BART must leave their cars at these key Easy Bay stations for the return trip:  Bay Fair, Dublin/Pleasanton, MacArthur, El Cerrito del Norte, Fremont, Hayward, Pleasant Hill, South Hayward, Union City, or Warm Springs/South Fremont. Note: Powell St Station in downtown San Francisco does not have parking.    

San Mateo County riders should take Caltrain home.  

Specific service of the special limited-express trains:  

El Cerrito del Norte- and Dublin-Bound Trains  

Two limited-stop-express Orange Line trains for 8pm matches will be bound for El Cerrito del Norte. They will leave Milpitas and will stop at Warm Springs/South Fremont, Fremont, Union City, South Hayward, Hayward, Bay Fair, and MacArthur. At Bay Fair, riders can exit the station, and Dublin-bound riders can transfer to another train to Dublin/Pleasanton. The last stop is El Cerrito del Norte.

Pleasant Hill- and Dublin-Bound Trains  

Two limited-stop-express Yellow Line trains for 8pm matches will be bound for Pleasant Hill Station. They will leave Milpitas and will stop at Warm Springs/South Fremont, Fremont, Union City, South Hayward, Hayward, Bay Fair, MacArthur, and finally Pleasant Hill, which will be the final stop. At Bay Fair, riders can exit the station, and Dublin-bound riders can transfer to another train to Dublin/Pleasanton. The last stop is El Cerrito del Norte.   

The above trains will run back-to-back. If you accidently board the wrong train, there will be a chance at MacArthur Station to transfer to the other train for El Cerrito del Norte or Pleasant Hill. There will be signs and staff at Milpitas to help you board the right train.    

Express Trains to San Francisco (Primarily Powell St Station)  

BART will offer limited-stop, express trains from Milpitas into San Francisco for the 8pm matches. Specifically: One special event train will depart Milpitas and stop at Warm Springs/South Fremont, Fremont, Union City, South Hayward, Hayward, and Bay Fair (where riders can exit or transfer to a Dublin train), then run without stopping until Powell St. Station (the last stop). This train will depart Milpitas after the final VTA train connects riders to BART (this may be as late as 1:40am). 

Muni in San Francisco will be providing supplemental service after normal transit operating hours to ensure reliable transportation options for the late-night matches. The Muni special bus shuttle service will circulate between Union Square, SoMA, BART and Caltrain.  

BART Resources  

System Map  

Trip Planner  

Real Time Departures from each station  

Tap and Ride contactless payment 

Download the BART Watch App  

Text BART Police to report concerns at 510-200-0992 

BART is investing in small improvements that make immense differences to pedestrians and bicyclists entering and exiting our stations, and the Ashby BART Bicycle Access Improvement Project is case in point.  

The project was completed in December 2024 on time and on budget and provides safer bicycle connections to BART from the west and east thanks to a new bike lane that closes a gap in Berkeley’s bike network between two major thoroughfares. The project also installed directional curb ramps on a highly trafficked entrance to align curbs with the intersection’s crosswalks.   

It's not just BART riders benefitting from these improvements, but everyone using the streets around the station, whether pedestrian, cyclist, or driver.  

“It’s always satisfying seeing what you worked so hard for being put to good use," said Matthew Hembd, BART Resident Engineer on the project. “I feel very proud to have taken part in something that has left such a positive and lasting impression on the commuters and people of Berkeley.” 

To execute the improvements, BART worked in collaboration with the City of Berkeley, which owns and maintains the roads and crossings around the station. In the spring, the city began construction on crossing improvements for two major streets, Adeline and MLK Jr. Way.  

“A project like this highlights what great things can be done here at BART when we all work together,” Hembd added.   

Watch a video of the bike lane here 

BART’s Maintenance Department played a key role in executing the vision – from grinding and demolition to spreading and compacting the asphalt – with minimal disruption to the public and a fast timeline.  

“Along with BART’s painters and grounds crews, they were able to transform the area into a place that is much more attractive and modern looking, which many people will appreciate for years to come,” cheered Hembd.  

Heath Maddox, BART Bicycle Access Program Manager and a former North Oakland resident, knows firsthand how significantly cyclists and pedestrians will benefit from these upgrades. For five years, before his career took him to BART, Maddox commuted to and from Ashby Station. At the same time, his children were in preschool across from the station.  

"Our family was doing a lot of traversing of BART property to pick up and drop off kids, usually via cargo bike, so the need to improve bike entries and exits on the west side was very apparent to me," Maddox said. “I always thought that these improvements could be easily legitimized with fairly modest changes to circulation using paint and signage, but even as a city bike/pedestrian planner, for some reason it never crossed my mind to suggest to BART that they do something about it. Then, years later, I found myself in a position – perhaps the position – to spur action from the inside. The rest, including all the great work by BART’s Matthew Hembd and Mariana Parreiras, is history.”  

BART’s development partners (Mandela Station Partners, LLC) are initiating construction of 240-affordable housing units at the West Oakland BART Station on September 14, 2026.  This work impacts all station access amenities including buses, vehicle and bicycle parking, pick-up/drop-off, and circulation. 

Vehicle Parking: Approximately 240 out of 440 parking spaces will be removed for this phase of construction, leaving 200 first-come, first-served Daily Parking spaces available, including 11 ADA spaces.   Additional BART customer parking is available at most other BART stations with parking, including Fruitvale Station (5 miles from West Oakland).   

Circulation: Vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle circulation will remain open on the east and north sides of the station site. Access to the south from the entrance will be restricted. 

Pick-up/Drop-off:  

• Regular Pick-up/Drop-off will be moved to Southbound Chester at 7th St and Westbound 7th at Center Street.    
• Accessible Pick-up/Drop will continue to be accommodated in the current location in front of the station.  
• Ride App Pick-up: use Regular Pick-up/Drop-off locations 

Bicycle Parking:  

• All bike parking from the south (5th Street) side of the station has been relocated to the north (7th Street) side. 
• Bicycle lockers are in two locations:  

1. Outside the NE corner of the station (16 spaces) ; and 
2. Just inside the BART parking lot west the main pedestrian entry from 7th Street (64 spaces). 

• Bike racks (32 spaces) are located on the plaza directly outside the station on the east side of the entrance 
• The shared Lyft Bikes (formerly Bay Wheels) are now located in the BART parking lot near 7th & Chester, west of the main pedestrian entry point. 

Buses:  AC Transit buses have been moved to on-street locations on 7th St and Mandela.  Below the table is a description of where each bus stop is located. 

• Bus Stops A1 to A3 are on Eastbound 7th St, between Center and Mandela. A1 is closest to Center, A3 is closest to Mandela. When exiting the faregates, turn right and proceed to 7th St. Turn right. A1 is approximately 170 ft away.  
• Bus Stop B1 is on Westbound 7th St. Between Center and Chester. When exiting the faregates, turn right and proceed to 7th St. Cross 7th St and turn left on the opposite side of 7th St. B1 is approximately 175 ft away  
• Bus Stops C1 to C3 are Southbound Mandela between 7th St and the BART Station driveway, C1 is closest to Mandela, C3 is closest to the BART driveway. When exiting the faregates, turn right and proceed to 7th St. Turn right and proceed to Mandela. Turn right onto Mandela, C1 is approximately 60 ft away. 
• Bus Stops D1 to D3 are on Eastbound 7th St on the opposite side of Mandela from the station, near the gas station. When exiting the faregates, turn right and proceed to 7th St. Turn right and proceed to Mandela. Cross Mandela, D1 is approximately 120 ft away. D2 is after the Gas Station driveway. 

The following map depicts the changes.  View a PDF of the map.

Learn more about this exciting Transit Oriented Development project that will ultimately include affordable and market rate homes and retail space located on both sides of the West Oakland BART Station at the City of Oakland’s website.

Once completed, the master plan will deliver:

• Up to 762 new residential units, including 240 affordable units

• Approximately 53,000 square feet of ground floor retail space

• Approximately 300,000 square feet of office space

• Improved bikeways on 7th Street and Mandela Parkway and a new bike station

• Streetscape improvements on 5th Street, 7th Street, Mandela Parkway, and Chester Street

• Enhanced pedestrian access to the station and a new BART plaza

Transit-Oriented Development projects at BART stations are fully financed by the private development teams. They are responsible for securing project financing — including grants and other funding sources — and constructing the housing and related improvements. BART does not pay for the development. BART’s role is as the landowner and long-term ground lessor, and these projects are structured to generate revenue for BART over time. Studies have shown Transit-Oriented Development increases BART revenue as people who live close to transit take more trips on transit. The developments also generate lease revenue to BART. 

Construction for the next phase of the Hayward Station Accessibility Improvements Project will begin on Monday, March 25, 2024 and last for approximately 3 weeks. 

 During this phase, five bus bays will be closed, and buses will move to new locations within the station area. 

Buses will be located in the bus bays shown in the list below. 

Bus bay numbers are shown in the map below and posted at each stop location. 

Aisle A is closest to the station, Aisle B is the bus island, Aisle C is in the Passenger Loading area. Bus bays are numbered sequentially starting from the bays closest to B Street. 

This April, listen closely to the PA announcements in BART stations; you might just hear the voice of one of BART’s biggest fans.  

For Autism Acceptance Month in April, 12 local youth on the autism spectrum spent an afternoon at BART Headquarters to record the very special announcements, which will play every 15 minutes at stations through the end of the month.  

The announcements go something like this: “Hi, BART riders. I’m Cameron Clay. I love BART because the trains are so fast. I like riding through the Transbay Tube. Happy Autism [Acceptance] Month.” 

Participants like 19-year-old Cameron were invited to put their own spin on their announcements. 9-year-old Max Reese, for example, used his spot to encourage people to check out BART’s merch store, Railgoods.com -- “They’ve got everything!” 

Max said his favorite part of the day was “basically everything.”  

“The moment the school bell rang, I was dashing out of that school to go here,” he said. He appreciates BART because “I get to go on these amazing adventures with my family” and it helps people “go to work on time and not miss out on anything or get fired.”  

Jonathan Trichter, the CEO of several schools for children with autism and related neurological differences, created the Autism Transit Project in 2022.  

Children with autism sometimes have a special affinity for trains, he said.

“Frontline workers see it every day,” he said. “They see these kids who drag their parents onto trains for joy rides or who ask questions so detailed they stump your seasoned operators! Transit is a place where many of these children feel safe, engaged and understood.” 

For some children on the autism spectrum, the first full sentence they ever speak is a transit announcement, Jonathan explained. "These messages hold a special meaning for them and their families. Keeping this project going honors that bond. It gives transit agencies a chance to celebrate a constituency that loves them like no other.” 

In addition to BART, participating agencies this year include New Jersey Transit, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the Chicago Transit Authority, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.  

The project kicked off after a successful pilot with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York, spurring Jonathan to reach out to other agencies to see if they’d like to participate.  

“It was an immediate yes,” said BART Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost, whose department has organized and hosted the event since 2023. “We know many of these families spend hours riding BART, and this is a special opportunity to hear directly from them and to experience transit through their eyes.” 

During the annual event, participants and their families spent the entire afternoon at BART, not just to record the announcements, but to learn about the system directly from staff. Employees gave presentations and answered questions about the inner workings of the agency, while engineers and transportation staff set up booths around the room with cool equipment the kids could touch and explore.  

Special appearances included BART Director Victor Flores and BART Deputy General Manager Michael Jones, as well as two animal celebrities: BART PD K9 Kygo and Pac-Man, the Harris hawk who helps BART with station pigeon abatement.  

Let's close things out with a message from 8-year-old King Colon: “Hi BART riders, I’m King. I love BART because of the sound the train makes, the technology’s really cool, and it can take me to my favorite places.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! 

 To listen to participants’ announcements, click the blue hyperlinks below – or better yet, visit a station!  

A’lexius 

Bella 

Calvin 

Cameron 

Eden 

Jiohnni  

King 

Lucas 

Lucy 

Max 

Mira 

Robert 

Zayn