Although designed in the 1960's, BART is appealing because its trains:
- Have a more modern appearance on the outside
- Provide level-boarding
- Run on electricity rather than diesel
- Operate more frequently due to BART having its own dedicated revenue sources (taxes)
- BART cannot run express trains
- BART trains lack amenities important to riders who commute more than 15 miles each way on the train, such as bathrooms, electrical outlets and tables for laptops.
- The BART system was custom designed to be different from other train systems, and is incompatible with those systems:
- All BART trains must be custom-produced, thus limiting the number of vendors who are able to make BART equipment and greatly increasing the cost. Conventional rail systems like Caltrain, on the other hand, are able to use off-the-shelf equipment obtained in a more competitive market. When for example, the Sounder rail service in Washington state found that it had ordered trains that it could not use when a proposed sales tax measure failed to pass, Caltrain was able to buy and use these new trains at a competitive price.
- Amtrak, ACE and Caltrain can run on each other's tracks, allowing flexible service patterns, especially as Dumbarton Rail is built in the future. BART cannot share trains with any of these systems.
- All BART trains must be custom-produced, thus limiting the number of vendors who are able to make BART equipment and greatly increasing the cost. Conventional rail systems like Caltrain, on the other hand, are able to use off-the-shelf equipment obtained in a more competitive market. When for example, the Sounder rail service in Washington state found that it had ordered trains that it could not use when a proposed sales tax measure failed to pass, Caltrain was able to buy and use these new trains at a competitive price.
- BART is powered by a live ground level "third rail," which requires total grade separation to prevent pedestrians from contacting the dangerous high-voltage third rail. This also means a huge up-front cost before a single BART train can run, whereas, with conventional rail, communities have the option of pursuing grade-separations with trains running in the meantime.
- BART is operate on DC power, as opposed to AC power. BART requires many substations along its tracks because DC power cannot be transmitted as far as AC power.
BART extensions that BayRail Alliance supports:
BART extensions that BayRail Alliance opposes:
- BART to San Jose/Santa Clara. Instead we should build Caltrain Metro East.
