According to the Sacramento Bee: The latest plan for building a California bullet train system got a very conditional blessing Tuesday from a “peer review committee” of transportation experts. Will Kempton, the veteran transportation official who heads the committee, told a Senate hearing that the latest revision is “measurably improved” from previous versions. “It’s more reasonable and realistic than previous proposals,” said Kempton, who runs the Orange County Transportation Authority…. Kempton stopped short of recommending approval, but he…
High Speed Rail
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Most Topular Stories
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Peer Review Committee Sees Improvements In New Business Plan
California High Speed Rail Blog16 May 2012 | 12:14 am -
Fellow Democrats, drop High-Speed Rail or you will deserve to lose this election
High-SpeedTrainTalk9 May 2012 | 5:33 pmhttp://www.cnn.com/2012/05/08/opinion/carville-democrats-could-lose/index.html?hpt=hp_bn7Carville is a guy to take very seriously. What does what he says have to do with HSR? Everything. If my fellow Democrats were really smart, they would dump this vision, this program and California's project like a hot potato.HSR is not about or for "the rest of us." Most of those of us struggling in this economy with mortgage payments, debts, and insecure jobs or no jobs, don't give a damn about building this train for the rich. We can't afford a vacation to Disneyland. We don't commute… -
Star-Advertiser Said Cayetano’s ‘Email-Gate’ Was ‘Disservice’ to Public, So What Does Paper Say About His Refusal to Release His BRT ‘Plan’?
Say Yes to the Honolulu Rail System15 May 2012 | 3:34 pmRemember this? It’s from a March 18 editorial in the Sunday Star-Advertiser: “For all his professed concern for the taxpayer in his fight against the planned rail system, former Gov. Ben Cayetano is not serving the public interest with his latest tactic of cherry-picking through old communications in his effort to turn public opinion against the project – and to boost his own candidacy for mayor.” That lead paragraph in the editorial (subscription) produced a torrent of “telling the truth is no disservice” letters to the editor from the Cayetano faithful, for whom the… -
California Bullet Train Chief Seeks Environmental Exemptions
California High-Speed Rail News16 May 2012 | 12:35 pmMay 16--The chief of the state bullet train authority said Tuesday that he hopes to obtain some type of relief from environmental laws that would eliminate a risk that the 130-mile initial construction project could be stopped by an injunction, a potentially growing prospect as agriculture interests in the Central Valley gear up for a legal fight. -
British fibre broadband for all could be paid for by high speed rail cash says ... - Recombu
"high speed rail" - Google News16 May 2012 | 11:42 amBritish fibre broadband for all could be paid for by high speed rail cash says RecombuMore than 90 per cent of the UK could enjoy 1Gbps FTTP broadband with the money set aside for high speed rail from London to Birmingham says the founder of ISP Hyperoptic. Boris Ivanovic has contrasted the £17billion earmarked for the first part of the
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California High Speed Rail Blog
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Peer Review Committee Sees Improvements In New Business Plan
16 May 2012 | 12:14 amAccording to the Sacramento Bee: The latest plan for building a California bullet train system got a very conditional blessing Tuesday from a “peer review committee” of transportation experts. Will Kempton, the veteran transportation official who heads the committee, told a Senate hearing that the latest revision is “measurably improved” from previous versions. “It’s more reasonable and realistic than previous proposals,” said Kempton, who runs the Orange County Transportation Authority…. Kempton stopped short of recommending approval, but he… -
Attacks on Golden Gate Bridge Similar to Attacks on High Speed Rail Today
15 May 2012 | 1:19 amThe San Francisco Chronicle’s John King has a truly fascinating article in today’s paper examining the debate over whether to build the Golden Gate Bridge, a debate that reached a head in the fall of 1930 ahead of a public vote to approve bond funding. Flickr photo by Salim Virji Critics depicted the bridge as financially unsound, legally dubious, an aesthetic blight and an engineering hazard in the decade before the start of construction in 1933. The battle was most fierce in the fall of 1930, when voters in six counties were asked to allow $35 million in bond sales for… -
LA City Council Calls on Legislature to Begin HSR Construction
13 May 2012 | 10:56 pmLate last month Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa co-authored an op-ed in the Sacramento Bee calling on the legislature to fund high speed rail this year. Last week Mayor Villaraigosa was joined by the Los Angeles City Council, which passed a resolution authored by Councilmember Tom LaBonge calling for the legislature to fund and begin building HSR this year: The Los Angeles City Council called today for state lawmakers to release bond money approved by voters in 2008 to help fund the first phase of a high-speed rail system through the Central Valley. The council unanimously approved a… -
Obama Administration Tells California: Approve HSR Money As Part of Regular Budget
10 May 2012 | 4:29 pmAlthough high speed rail opponents in Sacramento have been trying to delay the legislature’s approval of spending Prop 1A bond funds to begin construction of the high speed rail project, the Obama Administration today made it clear that delay would jeopardize federal funding: U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood warned the California Legislature today that the Obama administration will not wait until fall for a vote on high-speed rail, urging its approval in a budget vote next month. “We need to make sure that the commitment is there to obligate the money,” LaHood told… -
Is Kings County Using Amtrak to Undermine HSR?
9 May 2012 | 10:47 pmAs a passenger rail advocate, I want to see passenger rail serve as many places in California as possible. That includes Kings County. I continue to be utterly baffled by local officials’ opposition to a high speed rail stop for Hanford/Visalia, as it would do wonders for the region’s economy by connecting it to jobs and capital on the coasts. It would also help provide an affordable travel option for county residents. Adding to the bafflement is the fact that Kings County officials are now screaming about saving Amtrak service in their county – even though the same county…
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High-SpeedTrainTalk
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Fellow Democrats, drop High-Speed Rail or you will deserve to lose this election
9 May 2012 | 5:33 pmhttp://www.cnn.com/2012/05/08/opinion/carville-democrats-could-lose/index.html?hpt=hp_bn7Carville is a guy to take very seriously. What does what he says have to do with HSR? Everything. If my fellow Democrats were really smart, they would dump this vision, this program and California's project like a hot potato.HSR is not about or for "the rest of us." Most of those of us struggling in this economy with mortgage payments, debts, and insecure jobs or no jobs, don't give a damn about building this train for the rich. We can't afford a vacation to Disneyland. We don't commute… -
When it comes to High-Speed Rail, they can't hear us.
5 May 2012 | 4:09 pmGrandchildren visiting are taking priority over blogging. Until end of the week, there will be less activity on this blog.Yet, reading the daily papers re-affirms a saying about which I am convinced, coined by the American writer Upton Sinclair:"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it."What that means for us is that there really is no point in trying to convince anyone related to the CHSRA or the Democratic Party in California that what they believe, or say they believe, is incorrect. Democratic Party elected… -
When it comes to High-Speed Rail, they can't hear us.
4 May 2012 | 10:18 pmGrandchildren visiting are taking priority over blogging. Until end of the week, there will be less activity on this blog.Yet, reading the daily papers re-affirms a saying of which I am fond, coined by the American writer Upton Sinclair: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it."What that means for us is that there really is no point in trying to convince anyone related to the CHSRA or the Democratic Party in California that what they believe, or say they believe, is incorrect.The facts and realities of this… -
When this High-Speed Rail disaster is finally build, who will be around to say "I told you so."
2 May 2012 | 1:57 pmWolf RIchter poses the situation with high-speed rail very well in this article. California continues to operate along the edge of an economic cliff. Nonetheless, the Governor and fellow Democrats are determined to juggle a number of running chainsaws as they stumble along the precipice. (Is that too many metaphors all at once?)However, the rail authority keeps reassuring us that they know what they are doing. They keep generating new phraseology to cover their improvisations, but it's all theater; show business. No substance. Like those theater stagings where the… -
An Anonymous Comment on this blog about High-Speed Rail
2 May 2012 | 1:03 amWhatever comments are posted on this blog, I do read them, but I'm not looking for conversations. However, one comment came in on April 19th that I have re-visited several times that I want to reproduce here.The anonymous author raises a powerful and fundamental issue about fraud. He asks, is the High-Speed Rail Authority guilty of "breach of contract fiduciary duty?" The answer to that question can officially come from one of two sources. The first source is the Government Accounting Office in Washington. Now that the rail authority has already spend federal dollars,…
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Say Yes to the Honolulu Rail System
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Star-Advertiser Said Cayetano’s ‘Email-Gate’ Was ‘Disservice’ to Public, So What Does Paper Say About His Refusal to Release His BRT ‘Plan’?
15 May 2012 | 3:34 pmRemember this? It’s from a March 18 editorial in the Sunday Star-Advertiser: “For all his professed concern for the taxpayer in his fight against the planned rail system, former Gov. Ben Cayetano is not serving the public interest with his latest tactic of cherry-picking through old communications in his effort to turn public opinion against the project – and to boost his own candidacy for mayor.” That lead paragraph in the editorial (subscription) produced a torrent of “telling the truth is no disservice” letters to the editor from the Cayetano faithful, for whom the… -
What Does Honolulu Rail Have in Common with The Golden Gate Bridge? Opponents Fought Both Projects with Virtually the Same Arguments
14 May 2012 | 9:17 pmSan Francisco without the Golden Gate Bridge is nearly unthinkable today, yet the project’s supporters in the early 1930s had to overcome a boisterous opposition that predicted economic failure and environmental ruin.With the iconic structure’s 75th anniversary being observed this month, the San Francisco Chronicle reviewed the anti-bridge arguments in yesterday’s edition with an eye on another transportation controversy – the California High-Speed Rail project.It’s also no stretch to find parallels in the arguments thrown at both the bridge and the Honolulu elevated rail transit… -
What’s Blocking Honolulu Media from Covering One Candidate’s Alleged BRT Plan? He Wants To Kill Rail, so Media Should Be Asking – Right?
11 May 2012 | 3:41 pmOr are we wrong about that? Is there no urgent need to know what Ben Cayetano would impose if he’s elected mayor and is successful in killing Honolulu rail? Are we so deep inside the pro-rail effort that we’re simply wrong to believe the anti-rail candidate owes the public the details of his bus rapid transit plan that he’s borrowed from the Harris Administration?We’d be bowled over if the reportorial, editorial and management staffs at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaii News Now, Pacific Business News, KITV and KHON actually responded to the challenge embedded in our headline’s… -
Non-Shocker of the Week: Civil Beat Finds CEO Grabauskas Tells the Truth, Plus Letter to PBN Urges Focus on Cayetano BRT, Not Rail’s ‘PR’
10 May 2012 | 1:55 pmWe’ve made a big deal of Civil Beat’s Fact Checks – e.g., the Gang of Four’s poor record on sticking to the facts – so we have to call attention to the online service’s latest investigation.Dan Grabauskas, the new CEO of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, has been making a strong case for Honolulu rail’s financial plan since his first day on the job a month ago. One of his more eye-popping statements to Civil Beat was that the project is like “a house with no mortgage” because all construction costs, including interest on the financing, will be paid off shortly… -
‘Mainstream’ Media Fail To Flush BRT Plan from Cayetano, so Atomic Monkey Breaks a Parody, but Wait: Candidate Reveals a Slice of His Plan, Bus- Only Lanes on King, Beretania Streets! Auwe!!
9 May 2012 | 11:47 amFirst we simply tried blogging here, here, here, here, here, here and here about Ben Cayetano’s refusal to reveal his bus rapid transit plan. He says he’d implement BRT after he kills rail, so we naively thought the media would take the hint and start asking questions about such an ambitious suggestion. When that didn’t work, we wrote an Open Letter to the Star-Advertiser reporter who’s covering the mayoral race and asked him to please start asking Mr. Cayetano to explain himself. That didn’t work either.So you can imagine how thrilled we were to read Atomic Monkey’s scoop…
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California High-Speed Rail News
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California Bullet Train Chief Seeks Environmental Exemptions
16 May 2012 | 12:35 pmMay 16--The chief of the state bullet train authority said Tuesday that he hopes to obtain some type of relief from environmental laws that would eliminate a risk that the 130-mile initial construction project could be stopped by an injunction, a potentially growing prospect as agriculture interests in the Central Valley gear up for a legal fight. -
Residents invited to get update on High Speed Rail project
16 May 2012 | 8:21 amTuesday evening was the first chance for people in Kern County to view the updated High Speed Rail project plans. -
Walters: Resolving high-speed rail conflicts
16 May 2012 | 4:07 amWhen the Assembly Transportation Committee staged a hearing on the contentious bullet-train project recently, its bias for going ahead was starkly evident. -
High speed rail under pressure to beat the deadline
16 May 2012 | 12:01 amLike us on Facebook and enter to win an iPad -- We are giving away one a week for 6 weeks There are new questions concerning high speed rail and whether the project can be done right and done on time. -
Pressure Mounts To Put Bullet Train On Fast Track
15 May 2012 | 8:56 pmPressure is mounting at the state Capitol for California lawmakers to approve billions of dollars in funding for the controversial bullet train.
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"high speed rail" - Google News
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British fibre broadband for all could be paid for by high speed rail cash says ... - Recombu
16 May 2012 | 11:42 amBritish fibre broadband for all could be paid for by high speed rail cash says RecombuMore than 90 per cent of the UK could enjoy 1Gbps FTTP broadband with the money set aside for high speed rail from London to Birmingham says the founder of ISP Hyperoptic. Boris Ivanovic has contrasted the £17billion earmarked for the first part of the -
High-speed rail environmental exemptions sought - San Jose Mercury News
16 May 2012 | 10:54 amabc7.comHigh-speed rail environmental exemptions soughtSan Jose Mercury NewsAP SACRAMENTO -- California's high-speed rail chief says he's seeking environmental exemptions on the first 130-mile leg of the bullet train in the San Joaquin Valley. California High-Speed Rail Authority chairman Dan Richard said during a Tuesday California high-speed rail: Can it be built on time?abc7.comCalifornia bullet train chief seeks environmental exemptionsLos Angeles TimesResidents invited to get update on High Speed Rail projectKGET 17ABC30.comall 105 news articles » -
Financial plan for HS2 demolition has 'major risks', says report on high-speed ... - Camden New Journal newspapers website
16 May 2012 | 9:50 amCamden New Journal newspapers websiteFinancial plan for HS2 demolition has 'major risks', says report on high-speed Camden New Journal newspapers websiteby TOM FOOT A REPORT exposing the High Speed 2 demolition plan as financially unsound is being withheld from the public by Department of Transport bosses. The Major Projects Authority (MPA) gave HS2 the second worst possible rating – amber/red – and and more » -
Walters: Resolving high-speed rail conflicts - Ventura County Star
15 May 2012 | 4:37 pmWalters: Resolving high-speed rail conflictsVentura County StarAt one point, the committee's chairwoman, Democrat Bonnie Lowenthal, invited leaders of the California High-Speed Rail Authority to comment on reports questioning the train's projected operating costs. A lengthy analysis of bullet-train expenses in and more » -
California high-speed rail project given conditional blessing - Sacramento Bee (blog)
15 May 2012 | 4:30 pmCalifornia high-speed rail project given conditional blessingSacramento Bee (blog)Senators are weighing whether to give the California High-Speed Rail Authority permission to begin construction on a $6 billion initial segment in the San Joaquin Valley. Kempton stopped short of recommending approval, but he did say that before money
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Rail Europe
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England: Like a Local – Efficient Train Travel, with Peter Greenberg [Video]
10 May 2012 | 5:04 pmRail Europe recently had the opportunity to partner with legendary travel reporter Peter Greenberg for a radio show that was recorded on board the Eurostar train and aired on April 28, 2012. During his visit to Britain, Peter Greenberg put together two video clips highlighting the best ways to get around London and England. We couldn’t agree more with Peter – taking the train is indeed the best way to experience Britain like a local! Check out below the first video of the series which he filmed at London’s St Pancras station and be sure to visit www.petergreenberg.com for… -
Top 5 Free Things You Can do with a Swiss Pass
9 May 2012 | 2:09 pm© Switzerland Tourism By-Line: swiss-image.ch/Max Schmid As if going to Switzerland wasn’t enough of a bonus, a Swiss Pass not only includes travel on the country’s extensive rail network but also voluminous bonuses. With a Swiss Pass, the sky is the limit – and that goes way past the Alps. For the Adventurer 1. Travel from Lucerne by lake steamer and cogwheel train. © Switzerland Tourism By-line: ST/swiss-image.ch Lucerne is the perfect starting point for exploring Switzerland’s mountains majesty. With a great transportation museum, the first and steepest cogwheel railway and… -
Day Trips From London: How to Get to Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath
8 May 2012 | 1:11 pmStonehenge in Britain © Tania Rodriguez It’s a jubilant time to visit Britain. Between the Queen’s Jubilee and the upcoming summer Olympics, London is primed for the world’s spotlight. Which is exactly why you’ll want to head out of town for a day trip. Escape the hoards of crowds coming to see sprinters and javelin throwers with a British rail ticket. You can’t come all this way and not visit mysterious, mythical Stonehenge. For many, the rocks are a “bucket list” item. Although Stonehenge is a fun day trip, it will not take up your whole day, so you can easily add the… -
London: Like a Local – with Peter Greenberg [Video]
3 May 2012 | 1:41 pmRail Europe recently had the opportunity to partner with legendary travel reporter Peter Greenberg for a radio show that was recorded on board the Eurostar train and aired on April 28, 2012. During his visit to Britain, Peter Greenberg put together two video clips highlighting the best ways to get around London and England. We couldn’t agree more with Peter – taking the train is indeed the best way to experience Britain like a local! Check out below the first video of the series which he filmed at London’s St Pancras station and be sure to visit www.petergreenberg.com for… -
High-Speed Rail News #25: The “Ferrari Train” launches in Italy
30 Apr 2012 | 9:24 amThe new Italo high-speed train service arrives in Florence's train station. © Italo Treno - NTV S.p.A. Red Hot Rail: Let’s play word association. We’ll go first. “Ferrari.” What’s that you say? Red. Fast. Stylish. Sexy. All of the above is coming to a train track near you – that is, if traveling in Italy. Also this week, Morocco tries to justify the need for speed in a country that ranks among the poorest, Greece tries to unload some more debt (this time in the way of High-Speed Rail) and Florida keeps its high-speed hopes alive. Let’s get going! Art in Motion –…
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High Speed Rail
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Jerry Brown Says Higher Taxes Can Curb State’s $16B Deficit
14 May 2012 | 10:40 amAuthor Mike Reagan on the governor’s plan to increase revenue.[0:00:55] ... on the rich. And the -- is still in support of California's high speed rail project Mike Reagan author of the new Reagan revolution. Is what does this Monday morning from Los Angeles -- I can't believe. ... -
US Backs Rail Car Order To Boost High-Speed Expansion
20 Apr 2012 | 5:56 pmThe U.S. government on Friday unveiled another effort to kick-start its controversial high-speed rail project, unveiling a multistate bid to fund and build new passengers cars for the states proceeding with the project. -
London Readies for Major Economic Boost as Olympics Near
20 Apr 2012 | 4:00 pmThe $15 billion spent by the British government on the Olympics goes far beyond the two-week event. -
California to Spend $600B on 2 Useless Projects
19 Apr 2012 | 5:57 pmFBN’s Gerri Willis on California’s wasteful government spending.[0:00:20] ... an unnecessary expansion of the State's public university system. And another -- high speed rail project that even residents don't want. Boondoggle. Actually boondoggles. Now governor Jerry Brown says people who don't support this kind of spending ... -
California Continues Wasteful Spending Despite Deficit
19 Apr 2012 | 5:57 pmReason.com Editor-in-Chief Nick Gillespie on California’s wasteful spending on new projects despite the state’s mounting deficit.[0:01:05] ... coming out of California weather -- MA UC -- said. Or the high speed rail boondoggle that's going to be unfolding there are at least until 2033. If things are on schedule. It's a it's a sign ... [0:02:01] ... the deficits going to be bigger. And yet he insists on saying high speed rail is absolutely essential to the future of California. It isn't it's it's you know and people Blair. Are recognizing that the cost of the high speed rail program…
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BART RAGE - Bay Area Rapid Transit Blogs
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Praise for quick police response
15 May 2012 | 8:42 pmHats off to Bart police for a quick response this morning to car 1838 heading inbound through West Oakland. I don't consider myself a "suspicious package" alarmist, but I just had to call in a tip today. Some crazy person (clearly not maintenance) wheeled a blue recycling bin onto the car in which I sat at Fruitvale station, pulled a bag out of the top of the can, closed the lid, and ran away off towards the back of the train, leaving the can unattended in the car. After mentally wrestling with the decision whether to report it or not, I finally decided to go ahead and call. The operator… -
Train Operator in car 1258
7 May 2012 | 12:30 pmAbsolutely awful driver. Must have had the train in manual. Multiple extremely hard stops at almost every station, much worse than usual. Passengers in my car kept falling down, because she would slam the breaks to a hard stop, and then suddenly lurch the car forward 1 or 2 feet without warning. Saw her open the door to the front compartment to hit a rider who was standing in front of it - she didn't try to exit the cab, just opened the door to hit him and then closed it again. Also kept missing the correct stopping position for a 9-car train and then jerking forward to the stopping position… -
Does BART announce on the platform when trains are taken out of service?
4 May 2012 | 12:15 amI was at Walnut Creek on the platform waiting to board a train that was supposed to show up in five minutes. The train never came and there was no announcement. Just curious. -
No parking at both Dublin BARTs
3 May 2012 | 11:54 amMissed by train today and late for work several times cuz theres no parking at either dublin bart stations ever since that private lot sold themselves to a housing developer in east dublin bart. Will bart do anything about parking? Im very annoyed -
YOUR BAG DOES NOT GET ITS OWN SEAT
1 May 2012 | 1:32 pmThis morning I was on a totally packed 10-car train heading into SF during the rush hour (like usual), and this cow decided that her purse needed the seat next to her more than any of the dozens of people standing in the train, crammed in like sardines in a stinky can covered with fecal matter. http://flic.kr/p/bShXjZ http://flic.kr/p/bShXjT I hereby nominate this inconsiderate heifer for Dumbass Rider of the Day! AttachmentSize fatbitch1.jpg75.32 KB
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SFBART's blog
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Take BART to Asian Heritage Street Celebration
16 May 2012 | 11:22 amCelebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at the 8th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration on Saturday, May 19th in San Francisco's Civic Center, in front of the Asian Art Museum. The event is free and open to the public. The fair will feature a scrumptious collection of pan Asian delights and sweets, along with the Bay Area's favorite food trucks. You'll find spicy pork and bulgogi tacos from Seoul on Wheels, Filipino food like lumpia, BBQ, and more from Irma's, Koja Kitchen's Mochimisu (tiramisu layered with house-made chocolate mochi) and much more. For the… -
BART to open early for Bay to Breakers race
7 May 2012 | 5:22 pmImage: jwelcher via Flickr BART customers will be able to get to the world famous Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco on Sunday, May 20, 2012, because the transit agency will open early and run additional long trains. The race is celebrating its 101th anniversary this year. All BART stations will open early with service starting at approximately 5 am Sunday so racers can get to the race well before Bay to Breakers begins at the new, early start time of 7 am. Trains running before 8 am will run at 20-minute intervals. Download the special schedule (.pdf) for Bay to Breakers… -
BART bike parking tips
7 May 2012 | 3:44 pmPermalink -
BART unveils draft bike plan, seeks comment
30 Apr 2012 | 3:18 pmPhoto by Nick Sherman via Flickr Over the past year, BART has crafted a brand new bicycle plan that defines the strategies BART will pursue over the next 10 years to double the number of passengers who access stations by bike. This is an update to BART’s first Bicycle Plan, published 10 years ago. Approximately 4%, or about 14,000 passengers, currently reach BART stations each weekday by bicycle. Building on the success of past BART bicycle access improvements, the growth in popularity of bicycle travel throughout the BART service area, and the significant improvements to bike travel… -
Last week to vote in Blue Sky contest
30 Apr 2012 | 12:21 pmBART partnered with some great local organizations who are working hard to make a difference here in the Bay Area. This contest features non-profits that participated in our BART Blue Sky Festival, and are promoting some great initiatives that are making a difference locally. Which of our BART Blue Sky Non-Profit partners' current initiatives do you like best? Log in to Facebook and vote for your favorite! The organizations you can vote for are: Bay Area Green Tours City Care Share Coalition to Fight Factory FarmingCUESAEarth Justice Earth Share Green Festivals Sierra Club The San…
