BART’s Post

A completely rebuilt escalator is now open at Powell St. Station, connecting the platform to the concourse level. This is the fourth platform escalator to reopen with more modern, reliable features at the showcase station; just one more platform escalator remains to be rebuilt at Powell St. and work is already underway. https://lnkd.in/g-qEQgyS

Today, BART Communications and the BART Art Program were thrilled to kick off the Board of Directors meeting with a poetry reading. Olivia Nguyen and Hunter Stoval (joining virtually from Wyoming)— two Teen Poetry Contest winners — stood up in front of the board to read their winning poems, and they dazzled! The reading was a joyous reminder that art and transit go together. bart.gov/bartlines

Elvis Presley loved his bubblegum pink Cadillac. Elvis Herselvis prefers a blue-and-white ride. Her vehicle is roomier than that Fleetwood Sixty Special, boasts twice as many wheels, and unlike that old gas guzzler, it runs on electricity. We’ll toss her the mic so she can say it herselvis: “My life would suck without BART.” For thirty years, Elvis Herselvis, the drag king persona of legendary drag performer, artist, and musician Leigh Crow, has taken BART to rehearsals, performances, bars, brunches, and her brother’s house in Richmond. We recently met up with her at MacArthur Station to take pics with photographer Patricia Chang – doesn’t Crow's silver suit look fab paired with a silver train? – and talk BART. --- Full story: https://lnkd.in/gvcZpV-A --- Some background: Crow is considered to be the world’s first female Elvis impersonator. She was also one of the first out lesbian performers to tour the southern U.S., said Ruby Vixen, Crow’s partner in life and performance. Vixen and Crow can regularly be seen on BART in “various states of drag,” and they’re proud of it. “It’s a signal boost that encourages everyone of every gender that drag is viable, and that you should feel safe and welcome to do it.” This weekend, look for Elvis Herselvis and Ruby Vixen on BART and enjoy what will certainly be a festive and celebratory ride. BART will be in the parade and Railgoods will be selling merch at the Civic Center Celebration (Sunday only). Check out our guide to Pride here: https://lnkd.in/g-6yQuSU

Meet Nitika Sathiya, a winner of the BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest and a 2022 Alameda County Co-Youth Poet Laureate. In the reel, Nitika reads her winning poem, “souvenir,” on BART. She says, “My poem is not only a love letter to the Bay Area, but also a memory box holding my favorite parts of my childhood.” Thanks for sharing your work with us, Nitika. We’ll post more BART poetry readings soon. Find more winning poems in our station story dispensers and online at https://lnkd.in/gKiYYwUt. bart.gov/bartlines

BART encourages you to ride with pride for the San Francisco Pride Parade this Sunday, June 30! We’re offering our most robust service EVER for the parade, including additional event trains. Follow our rider guide to get to the parade and the Civic Center Celebration, located at Civic Center/UN Plaza on Saturday and Sunday. BART will have a booth at the celebration both days. On Sunday only, Railgoods will be stationed at the booth to sell merch, including new BART Pride 2024 items. Pick up your swag in person for instant gratification and no shipping fees! BART wishes everyone a safe and happy celebration. Find more information about our enhanced Sunday service and tips for using BART on the day of the parade: https://lnkd.in/g-6yQuSU

Today and tomorrow BART crews will begin the process of replacing track switches between Rockridge, MacArthur, and 19th Street stations. These switches are a vital part of the BART system that allow trains to safely move from track to track. To ensure a safe workspace for the project team, free buses will replace trains between the three stations. Riders can expect delays of up to 40 minutes in the area. Work will take place through the heart of the District on select, non-consecutive weekends into 2026. Free buses will replace trains between Rockridge, MacArthur, and 19th Street stations on the following weekends this year: June 22-23, July 20-21, August 17-18, September 21-22, October 19-20, and November 2-3. In addition to the track shutdown, there will be no Red Line service on these weekends. Get all the details about the work, its impacts, and how it will make BART more reliable for our riders: https://bit.ly/4c8EX7s

Mechanical Engineer Joshua Munoz has loved rollercoasters for as long as he can remember, even before he was tall enough (and brave enough) to ride them. He was mesmerized by the way the trains articulated and twisted, how they moved loudly yet gracefully around a track. And when he was seven, he finally got to ride one. In time, Joshua’s interests expanded to include another class of wheel and rail systems (one without the loop-de-loops): railroads. Now an adult with a PhD in railway engineering, Joshua has relied on a strong inner resiliency to build a career where he can contribute to BART's mission of safety carrying people around the region. --- Full Story: https://lnkd.in/gJq8b9ZW --- Joshua’s path to the Bay Area and BART has been full of twists and turns, not unlike a rollercoaster. He grew up on the military base Camp Pendleton, and said he was lucky as a young gay kid that it was in a progressive area that was generally accepting of him. Years before Joshua worked for BART, the system was an integral part of his life. “BART has connected me to the gay community and my favorite experiences for years now,” he said. He also noted that he and fellow LGBT colleagues bring something special to the BART organization. "As a gay person, you come into the workplace with empathy because we have all experienced some form of discrimination in our lives,” he said. “We also practice resiliency because we have to.” In 2019, Joshua’s resiliency was tested after a horrific tragedy. His abuelito, Luis Juarez, was killed in a mass shooting in an El Paso Walmart. At 90, Luis was the oldest victim. Joshua’s abuelita, Martha Juarez, was injured in the shooting but survived. "The experience demonstrated that there is extreme hatred in our country,” Joshua said. It also made him learn the necessity of leaning on others, including his queer community, for support in times of need. “You don’t have to be alone in being resilient,” he said. “Find the people and resources you need to recover from a hardship, to understand your trauma, and to return to your life stronger."

One of the most important rebuilding projects in the history of BART begins this Saturday. Work will happen around the clock on Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23 to begin the replacement of a series of track switches between Rockridge, MacArthur, and 19th Street stations in Oakland. Switches are vital components of the BART trackway that allow trains to safely move from track to track. Years of planning have gone into the track replacement work that will be happening on select weekends over the next three years to enhance the reliability of the core of BART. Organizers are calling this the most challenging and complex segment of BART’s revitalization plan that started in 2016, when District voters approved Measure RR. The measure provides $3.5 billion to replace aging track, traction power cables, and other vital equipment. On the latest edition of our podcast series "Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART," Project Manager Kevin Reeg and Operations Planner Hayley Toy talk about this vital rebuilding project. Learn about the unique challenges of this work, what will be accomplished, and what's being done to reduce impacts on riders. Listen to our latest podcast: https://bit.ly/3VvWlf3

BART’s popular restroom attendant program has expanded to El Cerrito del Norte Station. BART’s busy and recently modernized El Cerrito del Norte Station now has a restroom attendant to greet riders and ensure restrooms remain clean, safe, and accessible to riders. This recent expansion to El Cerrito del Norte has been accomplished without an additional cost to BART’s budget because BART is using existing staff resources, utilizing employees on a temporary modified assignment. This is the first time BART is deploying an attendant to an above ground station and the first time BART is using existing BART staff and not a contractor. Previously only underground station restrooms that have been recently reopened to the public included attendants staffed by contracted workers from District Works. Seven BART stations now have restroom attendants during all operating hours including Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, Lake Merritt, 19th Street Oakland, Downtown Berkeley, and now El Cerrito del Norte. Attendants greet riders, record bathroom usage, check on cleanliness, notify janitors when they are needed, and intervene, if necessary, by calling BART Police.  When the El Cerrito del Norte Station was modernized, the restrooms were rebuilt with a more open concept with partitions inside and no main door at the entryway. This design, along with the addition of an attendant, has reduced lines to use the restroom. Station Agents can now focus on other customer service assistance instead of needing to check on the restrooms and handle issues related to restrooms being abused. BART Director Rebecca Saltzman requested the addition of attendants at El Cerrito del Norte station, “Restroom attendants have proven to discourage unwanted behavior inside restrooms, ensuring they remain open, clean and safe,” said Saltzman. “Since we’ve added an attendant at El Cerrito del Norte, I have personally noticed an improved experience for riders using the restrooms. I want to thank BART leadership for testing this new approach of using existing staff resources to add an attendant to the restroom.”

One of the most important rebuilding projects in the history of BART begins Saturday. Work will happen all weekend to replace a series of track switches between Rockridge, MacArthur, and 19th Street stations in Oakland. Switches allow trains to safely move from track to track. Free buses will replace trains between Rockridge, MacArthur, and 19th Street Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23. Expect delays of up to 40 minutes in the work area. There will also be no Red Line service. The Red Line cancellation means there will be fewer transbay trips. The Yellow Line will be extended to Millbrae throughout the weekend with trains every 20 minutes to SFO. Work will happen one weekend per month through November. The same stretch of track will be closed June 22-23, July 20-21, August 17-18, September 21-22, October 19-20, and November 2-3. Work will continue on select weekends through 2026. We have prioritized public outreach for this work. Additional staff will be positioned throughout the bus bridge with more signs and support materials than we’ve ever produced for a shutdown to help you navigate the bus bridge. Train schedules will be different from normal weekend timetables. Use the official BART App. BART’s Trip Planner has been updated to include bus bridge details. Real Time Departures will be updated throughout the weekend. You can get more details on this project including a Frequently Asked Questions page that addresses concerns such as why we had to shut down the Red Line to make this work possible: https://bit.ly/4c8EX7s