View source for Bay Area Rapid Transit

[[File:Bart A car Oakland Coliseum Station.jpg|thumb|right|A BART train waiting at a station]]
'''Bay Area Rapid Transit''' ('''BART''') is a heavy rail public [[rapid transit]] system that serves the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] in northern [[California]]. It joins the cities of the [[East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|East Bay]], including [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], with [[San Francisco]]. Construction began in 1964. The first trains began running on September 11, 1972.<ref name="BartOpening">{{cite news |last=Disbrow |first=Bill |title=Here's what BART looked like on the original 1972 opening day |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Here-s-what-BART-looked-like-on-the-original-11026083.php |access-date=2018-06-20 |newspaper=SFGate |date=2017-03-25}}</ref>

[[File:BART system map.png|thumb|left|Map of all BART lines and stations.]]
==Lines==
As of 2022, there are five main lines on the system. There are {{convert|131|mi|km}} of track (using a wider-than-normal [[track gauge|gauge]] of {{RailGauge|1676 mm}}). There are 50 stations.<ref name="SystemFacts">{{Cite web |title=BART System Facts |url=http://www.bart.gov/about/history/facts |access-date=July 26, 2023 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref> Like other rapid transit systems in the world, tracks are in underground [[tunnel]]s in inner cities, and on elevated [[viaduct]]s in suburban areas. In some places, they are in the middle of [[freeway]]s. The busiest part of the system is the Transbay Tube, a {{convert|3.6|mi|km|adj=on}} underwater tunnel under the [[San Francisco Bay]]. Almost 150,000 people pass through the tube every day.<ref name="BartTube">{{cite news |last=Cabanatuan |first=Michael |title=BART warns of possible leaks in Transbay Tube in big quake |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/SAN-FRANCISCO-OAKLAND-BART-warns-of-possible-2792637.php |access-date=2018-06-20 |newspaper=SFGate |date=2004-04-17}}</ref>

==Fare==
The [[fare]] which people pay to ride BART depends on how far they go. They first buy paper [[magnetic stripe card]]s inside the station. Then they insert this [[Ticket (admission)|ticket]] into the gate, walk through the gate, and take the ticket out. They then get on board the train. Sometimes they have to change from one train to another to get to where they want to go. After they leave the train at their destination, they insert their ticket into the fare gate again to exit the station. Printed numbers on the card show how much money is left on the ticket. A passenger who enters and exits the same station will be charged an "excursion fare". {{As of|June 2024}}, the fare was $6.75.<ref>[https://www.bart.gov/guide/faq#3]. Retrieved June 24, 2024.</ref>

==Expansion==
In the 2000s, BART was expanded to reach [[San Francisco International Airport]]. It now goes as far as [[Millbrae, California|Millbrae]]. Two other [[branch line]]s have opened since then. In 2014, BART opened a short line to [[Oakland International Airport]] that uses trains pulled by [[cable]]s. An extension of the Pittsburg line to [[Antioch, California|Antioch]], which opened in 2018, uses [[diesel multiple unit]]s on [[standard gauge]] tracks instead of the electric, broad-gauge trains used on the main lines. A project is also going on to expand the southern main line into [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]. The entire extension was supposed to be completed in 2018.<ref>[http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=resources/traffic&id=6802932 South Bay BART] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629041321/http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=resources%2Ftraffic&id=6802932 |date=2011-06-29 }} KGO-TV, Friday, May 08, 2009</ref> Instead, the first new stations were opened on June 13, 2020 after breakdowns in communication and testing with the line.<ref name="BartSJ2019">{{cite news |last=Baldassari |first=Erin |title=Milpitas, Berryessa BART stations may not open until 2019 |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/03/02/milpitas-berryessa-bart-stations-may-not-open-until-2019/ |access-date=2018-06-20 |newspaper=The Mercury News |date=2018-03-02}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Other websites==
{{Commons category|BART}}
*{{official website|http://www.bart.gov/}}

{{San Francisco}}

{{Attached KML}}


{{multistub|transport|US}}

[[Category:Rail transport in the United States]]
[[Category:Transport in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:1972 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Rapid transit systems in the United States]]