For the first time since the pandemic, the yellow and red lines are now running 10 car trains during peak hours. BART is also adding train cars to the green and blue line.
BART Spokesperson, Chris Filippi says this is in part due to a 19% growth in ridership from last year. He says that an increase in public events like the World Cup, Pride weekend, and summer music festivals are part of the reason why.
"Beyond that we are also seeing more people ride BART during commute hours as hybrid work schedules change [and] more people spend more time in the office," said Filippi. "They’re coming back to BART."
Even with more riders, BART is still facing financial challenges. They are expecting a $376 million deficit after emergency funding from the state and federal government run out.
The Connect Bay Area Act is a transit bill on the November ballot that aims to prevent severe service cuts across the region. If it passes, it will increase sales tax by 1% to fund Bay Area transit agencies including BART.
In addition to longer trains, there will also be schedule changes taking place on August 10th aimed at reducing wait times and improving overall reliability.
