Council to D.C.: Release $1.25 Billion BART Funding

A deadly accident this week that shut down the upper deck of the Bay Bridge, wreaking havoc during peak commute hours, highlighted the importance of $1.25 billion in funding that the federal government is withholding from a critical project to increase capacity on the BART mass transit system. The money is needed to complete installation of a train-control technology and purchase of new rail cars that will increase Transbay ridership capacity from 27,000 passengers an hour to 39,000. That extra room would have come in handy when the Bay Bridge closure pushed 10,000 drivers onto BART. The federal funding represents almost half the overall funding for the various projects BART is undertaking. Funding is also coming from Measure RR, a voter-approved bond measure that the Council supported. To engage in the Council’s transportation policy work, please contact Senior Vice President Gwen Litvak.