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Bay Area Rapid Transit

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A train traveling on tracks as seen from a footbridge in San Francisco.

Bay Area Rapid Transit

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a fast train system in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It helps people travel easily around big cities like San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose.

BART started running in 1972 and has grown bigger over the years. It now has 50 stations on five main lines. Most trains go through Oakland and cross the bay to San Francisco using the Transbay Tube. Trains run every day until 9 pm, and some lines run later.

Trains usually come every 20 minutes, but the Yellow Line comes every 10 minutes on weekdays. During busy times, trains can come as often as every four minutes. There are also buses to help people get to and from BART stations when the trains are not running, like late at night. BART connects with many other types of transportation, including buses and other train systems. This makes it easy to reach places all around the Bay Area, including San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport.

BART is run by the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. It serves Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and the City and County of San Francisco, plus parts of San Mateo County and Santa Clara County.

People love BART because it is fast and helps them get around without using cars. It has special parking spots at many stations and is designed to be easy for everyone, including people who use wheelchairs. There are also signs to help people who are visually impaired.

BART has worked hard to keep its tracks safe, even during earthquakes. It was one of the first big transit systems in the U.S. to use computers to control the trains. Operators make announcements and watch for any problems while the trains move on their own between stations.

BART is always growing. New lines are being built to reach more places, like parts of Silicon Valley. The first part of this new extension opened in 2020, giving San Jose its first BART stop.

BART makes it fun and easy to explore the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area!

Images

A colorful map showing the evening train routes of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in California.
AC Transit buses parked at San Leandro station in April 2018.
The inside of a modern subway train car, showing seats and windows.
A bicycle safely tied up inside a train using special straps for bike storage.
A view of the El Cerrito Del Norte Station during a Future Fleet Open House, showcasing modern train cars and the station platform.
Modern BART trains at the 19th Street Oakland station in 2018.
A train at the Oakland Airport-Coliseum station, part of the BART system.
A train arriving at Pittsburg Center station during its first day of service in May 2018.
A train at Oakland Coliseum Station, part of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system.
A train arriving at Fruitvale station, part of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system.
A train arriving at Fruitvale station in March 2018.
Two ticket machines at a train station in San Francisco where you can buy or add value to transit cards.
A scanned BART ticket, showing details of a public transit fare card used in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Related articles

San Francisco
San Francisco Bay Area
California
Silicon Valley

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Bay Area Rapid Transit, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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