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Update 10:00am, September 13:

The final Sunday of scheduled work for this project between Balboa Park and Daly City has been cancelled. BART will now run its normal service on Sunday, September 24 instead of reducing service to one track.

On three non-consecutive Sundays in August and September BART will be cutting back and removing trees that could pose a hazard to the trackway between Balboa Park and Daly City stations. To ensure safe conditions for workers, service will be reduced from two to one track on the following Sundays:

*August 27
*September 10
*September 24

Riders in the area on those workdays should anticipate delays of 10-15 minutes. Also, all Green Line trains will be cancelled.

On those three dates BART will also perform tree removal work in southern Alameda County. That work will happen on both Saturdays and Sundays on those three weekends and will require free buses to replace train service between Union City and Fremont stations. You can learn more about the work in Alameda County here. You can also get more details about BART’s systemwide safety initiative to remove potentially hazardous trees at the project page.

September 6 update:

The closure has been extended to Sunday, September 15 due to unforeseen complications. We thank you for your patience.

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BART’s escalator contractor will close the Embarcadero Station entrance located at Davis and Market (stairway and escalator) this Friday, August 30 to Sunday, September 8.  This full entrance closure is necessary to complete installation of panels at the entrance. 

Please note there will be two entrance closures at the Embarcadero Station during this 10-day period.  A map below shows the open entrances and elevator location.  Wayfinding signs will be installed on the barricades inside the station and on the street level to detour pedestrian traffic from this entrance. 

BART crews are busy working on the single largest contract for escalator replacement in BART history.  The Market Street Escalators Renovation Project team is working to install and replace 41 escalators at Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, and Civic Center stations.  Of the escalators to be replaced, 23 are street to concourse level and 18 connect concourse with station platforms.  Project completion is expected to be in 2026. You can view the four downtown station maps for escalator and canopy progress at: https://www.bart.gov/about/planning/sf-escalators

On Wednesday, Dec. 10, BART joins the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and our regional transit partners in celebrating the launch of Next Generation Clipper, the Bay Area’s electronic fare payment system administered by MTC. Next Generation Clipper will make fare payment faster, simpler, and more integrated. 

MTC has begun the eight- to 12-week process of transitioning Clipper card customers to the next generation. See instructions below to initiate the transition process yourself. 

New and improved features include:

• Tap and Ride has been rolled out to all Bay Area transit agencies that use Clipper, meaning riders can pay adult fares using contactless credit and debit cards and mobile payment methods, in addition to Clipper cards. BART became the Bay Area’s first Tap and Ride system on Aug. 20, 2025.  

• Instant value: Clipper's transition to a cloud-based system allows for instant availability of added value or passes on plastic and mobile cards no matter how value is added — eliminating wait time. An improved auto-reload function allows customers to customize both the reloading amount and the schedule or reloading. 

• Free and discounted transfers: Riders who use more than one transit agency in a single trip (e.g., BART to Muni) will only be charged full fare on the first operator. A transfer discount of up to $2.85 will apply on any additional transit agency the rider uses within a two-hour window. This feature will be immediately available for contactless bank cards. Clipper card users must wait for their cards to be upgraded to the new system for this feature to apply, a process customers can initiate (see below).  

• Managing multiple accounts: Clipper's transition to a cloud-based system will enable families to manage multiple registered Clipper cards through the Clipper app. 

• Apply for youth or senior cards online: The new Clipper system will give youth and senior riders the option to apply for their discount program online in addition to applying in person or by mail. 

Because of the eight- to 12-week transition period needed to upgrade individual Clipper cards to the next generation system, not all features will be immediately available to all customers. 

For faster transition to the new system, customers may initiate the upgrade by:

• Logging into your account on the new account-based Clipper website
• Logging into the new account-based Clipper mobile app
• Calling and providing your Clipper card number to the new account-based customer service center (details below)

More on Tap and Ride:

Tap and Ride means you can use mobile cards as well as traditional plastic credit or debit cards in the place of a Clipper card. Clipper will still be accepted regionwide.  

Customers who use a mobile card on an iPhone are advised to turn on the Express Transit feature, and those who use a plastic credit or debit card are advised to remove the card from their wallet or purse before tapping to avoid card clash.  

Since BART became the Bay Area’s first Tap and Ride system, usage of the innovative system has steadily grown. In September, Tap and Ride usage accounted for approximately 8% of total BART trips on weekdays and 12% on weekends, with SFO Station accounting for nearly 30% of all Tap and Ride and trips. 

Find BART’s guide to using Tap and Ride at bart.gov/tapandride.  

Clipper Customer Service 
Weekdays: 7:00 am - 7:00 pm 
Saturdays:7:00 am - 4:00 pm 

Email: [email protected] 
Phone:(877) 878- 8883 
TDD/TTY: 711 or 800.735.2929 

Web: clippercard.com 

This article was originally published October 21, 2025. 

Photo courtesy Mandela Station Partners, LLC (MSP)

Update 05/04/26: BART and our development partners, Mandela Station Partners LLC, are excited to start construction on the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) project at West Oakland Station this year. The TOD project is planned to include 762 new residential units, including 240 affordable units, retail and office space, a new bike station, improved bikeways, streetscape improvements, enhanced walking access to the station, and a new BART plaza.  

Phase 1 is currently scheduled to start in mid-2026 with the construction of 240 affordable housing units on the southwest portion of the station parking lot. To prepare for this transition, as of May 4, 2026, Reserved parking is no longer offered. Approximately 440 Daily Fee parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. In summer/early fall 2026, approximately 300 may become unavailable. All remaining Daily Fee spaces will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until construction formally begins.  

You can learn more about the upcoming TOD project by visiting this page: Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) - West Oakland. More information to come. 

02/04/26: BART and our development partners, Mandela Station Partners LLC, are excited to start construction on the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) project at West Oakland Station this year. The TOD project, also known as Mandela Station, will include 762 new residential units, including 240 affordable units, retail and office space, a new bike station, improved bikeways, streetscape improvements, enhanced walking access to the station, and a new BART plaza. Phase 1 is currently scheduled to start in mid-2026 with the construction of 240 affordable housing units on the southwest portion of the station parking lot (labeled T1 in the above rendering).

As part of the required pre-construction activities, soil testing will take place Tuesday, February 10, through Tuesday, February 17, and will require temporary closures of portions of the BART parking lot. The West Oakland parking lot consists of nearly 440 parking spaces, and no more than 60 parking spaces will be taken offline at a time for soil testing. Given the high demand for parking at West Oakland Station, we encourage those who park there to plan ahead and arrive earlier, consider parking at another BART station, or consider biking or taking transit to the station.

Larger lot closures to begin mid-2026

The development team will take the results from soil testing to inform environmental remediation work needed and future construction phasing. Construction activities that will begin in mid-2026 will require the temporary closure of approximately 300 parking spaces (out of 440 total). A portion of these spaces will be restored when construction is completed, while approximately 200 of the 300 affected by construction will be permanently removed as part of the approved development project. 

Reserved parking to be phased out soon

Reserved Parking at the station will be phased out this spring prior to construction. Daily Fee parking will be available on a first-come, first-served basis during and after construction. We will provide additional details on the construction date and phased lot closures on bart.gov/parking. 

We want to be transparent about this now so those who drive and park at West Oakland can start looking into alternatives for the change later this year. 

You can learn more about the upcoming TOD project by visiting this page: Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) - West Oakland.

Figure 1. Temporary Parking Closures 2/10 - 2/17

UPDATE April 8, 2026:

Crews were able to complete the work sooner than anticipated, so this entrance was re-opened early afternoon on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.

From April 7 through April 10, riders will not be able to enter the station from the UN Plaza entrance as the contractor installs fencing around the escalator. The escalator going up from the station will remain in service, allowing riders to exit the station. Signs at the top of the closed escalator will guide customers to an alternate entrance.

Riders should use the following options to access the Civic Center station during this period:

North Side of Market Street – Stairway Access

• Stair-only Entrance in front of Orpheum Theatre
• Stair-only Entrance at 7th Street @ Charles J. Brenham Place

North Side of Market Street – Elevator Access

• Elevator at UN Plaza

South Side of Market Street - Stairway / Escalator Access

• 8th & Market Canopy Entrance – Entrance has both stairway and escalator 
• Mid-Block Stair-only Entrance 
• 7th & Market Street – Entrance has both stairway and escalator  

Status of the Escalator Project

There are two escalator units located above the Civic Center Station that serve the United Nations Plaza on the north side of Market Street. The BART Escalator Renovation Project contractor plans to complete the replacement of the first of the two units in early April and expects to start replacement of the second unit soon after that. All work at the Civic Center / UN Plaza entrance is expected to be completed by October 2026.

BART’s Escalator Renovation Project is replacing 44 escalator units (40 BART plus 4 additional MUNI escalators) in the four downtown stations at both platform and street levels. To date, BART has completed installation of 26 units, 1 is currently under construction, and there are 17 remaining escalator units to be completed through January 2029.  

Thank you for your patience as we work to complete this important escalator renovation project. 

For more information on this project visit: bart.gov/about/planning/sfentrances

Starting July 1, 2026, BART parking rates will be changing at 7 stations to reflect demand-based adjustments, in line with BART’s Parking Pricing Policy. The adopted policy allows for rate adjustments within a defined range to manage demand.  
Based on Spring 2026 parking counts showing occupancy exceeding 90 percent: 

•    Daily Fee rates will increase at Glen Park, Rockridge, Walnut Creek, and West Oakland stations.  
•    Single/multi-day reserved parking rates will increase at Rockridge, San Bruno, and Walnut Creek stations. 
•    All reserved parking rates (Single/Multi-day and Monthly) will decrease at Castro Valley and Union City stations, where sales remain low.  

Monthly reserved rates remain the same at all other stations as monthly sales remain steady. Parking remains free after 3pm, on weekdays and on weekends and holidays. A table outlining these changes is shown below: 

* Prices include parking taxes levied by local jurisdictions: Oakland (20%), and San Francisco (25%) 

All transactions made on or after July 1, 2026, will reflect the new prices above. Any reservations made before July 1, 2026, regardless of reservation dates, will reflect the price at time of purchase. Current monthly parking holders’ reservations will be renewed on July 15, 2026, for August, and will be charged at the new prices shown above.

BART’s current funding model heavily relies on fares and parking fees to run service and provide maintenance and police patrols in our parking areas.   

BART currently offers a 50% fare discount to qualifying low-income riders through the Clipper Start program. Visit Discounts | Bay Area Rapid Transit to learn more about additional fare discounts available. Parking discounts/commuter benefits may also be available through your employer. 

Pay for parking on the official BART app, online or at machines inside stations with debit, credit or cash. Additional parking questions? Please visit BART’s Parking Overview Page or our FAQs

*The article was posted on May 20, 2026

Installation of Next Generation Fare Gates is scheduled to begin the week of September 3rd at Richmond Station. The installation process is expected to take approximately two weeks to complete. This work comes after the successful installation of Next Generation Fare Gates at Civic Center, Fruitvale, and West Oakland stations. 

During construction, there will be a barrier around the existing station gate array.  Riders will use two temporary accessible gates to enter and exit Richmond Station.  Both gates are located next to the Station Agent Booth. When facing the booth from the non-paid area of the station, the fare gate to your right is used to enter the station and the fare gate to your left is used to exit. Additionally, carpet will be installed immediately before the entrance to each fare gate, to make these two gates easier to locate for riders with visual impairments. The removal of the old gates and installation of Next Generation Fare Gates will not impact train service.  

All BART stations will have new fare gates by the end of 2025. You can learn more about BART’s Next Generation Fare Gate project at bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate. Riders can provide feedback about the new gates at bart.gov/comments.

Installation of Next Generation Fare Gates is scheduled to begin December 13 at Hayward Station. The installation process is expected to take approximately two weeks to complete.

During construction, there will be a barrier around the existing station gate array.  Riders will use two temporary accessible gates to enter and exit Hayward Station.  Both gates are located next to the Station Agent Booth. When facing the booth from the non-paid area of the station, the fare gate to your right is used to enter the station and the fare gate to your left is used to exit. Additionally, a carpet will be installed immediately before the entrance to each temporary gate to make the gates easier to locate for riders with visual impairments. 

The work will not impact train service, but riders may experience a few extra minutes wait to pass through the fare gates during peak travel hours.

The latest work comes after BART has successfully installed Next Generation Fare Gates at 11 other stations across the system. All 50 BART stations will have new fare gates by the end of 2025. You can learn more about BART’s Next Generation Fare Gate at the project page. Riders can provide feedback about the new gates at bart.gov/comments.

The installation of Next Generation Fare Gates is scheduled to begin Friday, April 18 at Lake Merritt Station. 

The installation process is expected to take approximately two weeks to complete for each of the station’s two sets of gates, which are on opposite sides of the station. During construction, there will be a barrier installed around the set of gates being replaced and along a path to travel to the opposite set of gates. There will be a 3’ x 6’ rug at each end of the path. The first set of faregates to close will be closest to the west side entrance, near 8th Street. The second phase will close the east side gates near 9th Street.  There will be signage and additional BART staff to direct riders to the open gates.

The work will not affect train service, but riders may experience a few extra minutes wait to pass through the fare gates during peak travel hours.

The latest work comes after BART has successfully installed Next Generation Fare Gates at 25 other stations across the system. All 50 BART stations will have new fare gates by the end of 2025. You can learn more about BART’s Next Generation Fare Gate project here.