Is all of BART underground?

In San Francisco (and some other cities), BART stations are underground, so you'll have to walk down the stairs or take the escalator down into the station. In other cities around the Bay Area, most of the stations are above ground. So you'll have to go into the station at ground level.



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Built using the immersed tube technique, the Transbay tube was constructed on land in 57 sections, transported to the site, and then submerged and fastened to the bottom – primarily by packing its sides with sand and gravel. Opened in 1974, the tunnel was the final segment of the original BART system to open.

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Constructed in 57 sections, and reposing on the bay floor as deep as 135 feet beneath the surface, the remarkable $180 million structure took six years of toil and seismic studies to design, and less than three years to contract.

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Q: Why doesn't BART run 24/7 or at least later on Friday and Saturday nights? A: The short window of time when BART isn't in operation is used for essential nightly track maintenance to help keep BART safe and reliable.

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Whereas BART is used to travel across the Bay Area, Muni is used to travel within San Francisco's city limits. The service includes bus lines, trolleybuses, light rail lines and cable cars. That's right, those iconic San Francisco cable cars are part of Muni!

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Hours of operation are generally from 4 am to midnight on weekdays, 6 am to midnight on Saturdays and 8 am to midnight on Sundays and major holidays. Individual station closing times are coordinated with the schedule for the last train beginning at around midnight.

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The BART server calculates the earthquake's seismic intensity within nanoseconds, and if the seismic intensity -- or MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale) -- is greater than IV, the server will automatically signal trains to reduce speeds. Trains then automatically begin slowing to 27 mph.

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During peak commute times, over 28,000 passengers per hour travel through the tunnel with headways as short as 2.5 minutes. BART trains can reach their highest speeds in the tube, up to 80 miles per hour (129 km/h), although trains typically operate at 70 miles per hour (113 km/h) unless trying to recover from a delay.

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BART has 8 DMU train cars which each have a seating capacity of 104. 70 mph maximum; 35 mph average, including 20-second station stops. For BART to Antioch DMU trains, the maximum speed is 75 mph; 60 mph average.

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Safety is BART's top priority. To help keep passengers and our employees safe, BART has more than 4,000 working cameras throughout our system and we are working very hard to increase both sworn officers and ambassador presence.

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All BART Stations have Clipper vending machines which accept cash, credit cards and debit cards as payment. You can add cash value to Clipper cards at all BART ticket machines. Clipper cards can be ordered online at www.clippercard.com. Many retail outlets throughout the region also sell Clipper cards.

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Children 4 and under ride free but everyone else must have a Clipper card (a plastic card or in your digital wallet) or a BART paper ticket (no longer sold at stations except SFO) with funds loaded.

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In celebration of BART's upcoming 50th anniversary on September 11, BART is offering a 50% discount for the entire month of September 2022. The reduced fare will be automatically deducted when using Clipper at the fare gates.

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Like most trains, BART wheels are tied together with rigid axels and no differentials. This means the wheels always rotate at the same speed, even around corners. Because the inner radius is smaller, there is less distance to travel, which can cause a slippage between the wheels and track, which is noisy.

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Earthquake Safety Program The Transbay Tube is BART's most critical asset. Although the tube is structurally sound, in a very large and very rare earthquake, the outer shell and concrete liner are predicted to crack.

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Perhaps ironically, the Blue Line takes several points of pride from its proximity to water, which gives it its name. Local historians claim the tunnel that runs under the harbor as the first underwater subway tunnel in the United States.

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