⁴ᴷ⁶⁰ BART: Fleet of the Future and Legacy Trains at North Berkeley + New Real-Time Station Displays

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On Monday, September 2, 2019, BART released its newly updated real-time departure displays at all mainline stations throughout the system, complete with new door information that tells riders whether the next train has three-door (Fleet of the Future) or two-door (legacy fleet) cars. The displays will also report cancelled trains, instead of the train simply disappearing from the screens without warning.
Needless to say, we had to check this out, so we headed to North Berkeley, where Fleet of the Future trains are known to frequently run on.
Turns out, the automated station announcements have gotten an update too, as George and Gracie (BART's names for their station announcers) now announce the number of doors for each train.
This new system is essentially BART's first Fleet of the Future train tracker, since riders are now able to know the number of doors for upcoming train arrivals.
Currently, BART runs two Fleet of the Future trains on the Orange line and one on the Red line, which makes this segment of the system ideal for finding new trains. And with these new real-time departure displays, we don't have to randomly guess anymore on where these trains are located. We managed to see two here at North Berkeley, as well as many legacy trains passing through the relatively quiet station.
BART plans to extend this new display info to the BART app, as well as its website and codec for third-party developers who seek this information. In the future, the screens will also display when a train is delayed in front of a station. Let us know what you think of these new displays in the comments.

[@wallflower15875]

The sounds and sights of BART always make me so nostalgic, growing up in the east bay. I could ride it all day.

[@redwingsfan713]

I grew up in San Francisco and used to daily BART trips around the system

[@DNP_10]

Can’t wait for the “10 car 2 door train for San Francisco/San Francisco Airport/Millbrae via San Francisco in 5 minutes” announcement this Sunday

[@PHope-sl4nj]

Me Too.

[@collincoolisGOATED]

Me three

[@iZipTiedMyPenisToABrick]

3 door trains >

[@teftaofficial7590]

everytime i stand right behind the yellow line, i feel like a crackhead is going to push me off into the train while its coming

[@the9file]

thats why i stay as far away as i can

[@fenixfox1695]

Same

[@davidalexandergomez5264]

"Your enemies"

[@YukariAkiyama]

Peep peep!!!!!

[@DionsTravels]

Same feeling in New York

[@blount_man]

Love the older train sounds. I grew up in the city on these going out to the east bay and back home

[@pqhkr2002]

Legacy A and B car's sound is music for me. I often simulate that sound in my brain when city driving. If there is electric or hybrid car that can make similar sound, I'd consider to buy one.

[@gamer_wingsyt4669]

and C!

[@sterlingarcher7101]

I will certainly miss these old cars once they disappear.. I was born and raised in SF for the first 9 years of my life so I grew up with these going to downtown and also Daly City

[@YukariAkiyama]

My sister lives in Berkeley and every time we visit her, (which is a lot, we live in Sacramento) I always rode the BART trains. I will never get tired of the acceleration noise, the horn and the one windshield design. F in the chat for the Legacy Cars

[@louiszhang3050]

I remember riding BART for travelling around San Francisco. I rode it right after coming back from Japan, so a good transit experience was fresh in my mind. It was very interesting to compare the two. - Japanese trains were much cheaper - Japanese trains had much better connections for everyday travel and not just commuting - Japanese trains were much more punctual and frequent, which contributed significantly to a less frustrating experience with missing connections and being late - BART runs very fast - BART's incoporation with my phone wallet and overall software technology was decades ahead of Japan (my digital card didn't work properly half the time, they ran out of IC cards, and I had to resort to paper tickets) - BART is much better incorporated with other transit options in its area and had simpler wayfinding, even when considering the size difference of their transit networks - BART was so fricking loud in the tunnels

[@east_bay_transit_nerd]

I really wish I could ride the Fleet of the Future, it’s been many times I’ve seen it and wished I was on. Now I’m envious of my dad

[@brianlau172]

I do too. It sounds like a big improvement over the old cars, but I was hoping the Fleet of the Future would involve the track network being changed to standard-gauge and a BART rolling stock that looks just like the new train cars in real life while also being compatible with that hypothetical standard gauge. Although having an Indian gauge is one of the things that makes BART truly unique at least in the Western world, whether good or bad.

[@catvoncrimson666]

Did your dad not let you ride it?

[@east_bay_transit_nerd]

Changing the track is reeeeaallly expensive

[@Kickflip215]

It’s a nice upgrade more quiet downside if if you don’t like green or blue there’s Pleanty of that color there it’s literally thrown at your face the colors and less seats.

[@Qball10]

I rode it twice in one day a while ago. That day was the only time I got to.

[@PHope-sl4nj]

I Love Both Old And New Trains.

[@Obi_Wan_Kenobi_027]

I’m a valley dweller but when I was young my family used to take Bart all the time. This video reminds me of easier times. Also there is a trucking yard in Stockton that’s had a single fleet of the future multiple unit on a flatbed. It’s gone now.

[@pizzasubs]

really like the looks of those new trains, those have been a long time coming.....and they are so much nicer looking on the inside now.

[@pmk2000]

BART is futuristic, the technology is so advanced back then, it is still running efficiently. I like the appearance of the old trains, aluminum body style is rare as most train nowadays are being painted . And the synthesized announcement is creepy though but interesting.

[@4trainfan909]

NYC like: *all our trains are metal* R143 supreme train: *lol*

[@WebSoak]

All our trains in NYC are bare body

[@amiausUSA]

The legacy rolling stock reminds me of that of the Bucharest metro, but with air conditioning.

[@PHope-sl4nj]

We’ve Been To North Berkeley With My Friend Since 2018-2020.

[@BrooklynBound4]

I’m from NYC and I have always liked BART trains. It like PATH over here (Port Authority Trans Hudson) subway to/from NY & NJ. So amazingly clean too.

[@DionsTravels]

Bart is mad dirty compared to PATH

[@qjtvaddict]

@@DionsTravels due to the insane ppl

[@ladder3257]

Bart is dirty but the trains are soo good

[@OliversElevators]

Those legacy cars accelerate fast!

[@atomstarfireproductions8695]

I’m curious about the acceleration before they replaced the propulsion systems

[@DNP_10]

5:00 that stop tho

[@OliversElevators]

I was thinking the same thing. What the heck happened to the alignment with the platform markings? This is a little bit strange.

[@YukariAkiyama]

Mans what happened?

[@matttonkli7024]

I'm a fan of the older trains

[@BayAreaTransitNews]

Same. Hard to believe they'll be gone in several years time.

[@_thebusphotograher_cali]

Bay Area Transit News: They be gone by the late 2020s so the old ones will stick around for a while longer

[@mrbreadcrumb]

@@_thebusphotograher_cali actually there have been reports of them being gone as early as 2022-2023

[@mrbreadcrumb]

@xIDucky YT the A cars were manufactured earlier, so they will be retired sooner

[@californiamade5608]

Newer trains are better. Only thing I like about old cars is the seating.

[@marksinthehouse1968]

BART did rewrite the subway/underground book on what could be done

[@starthomas3762]

Also on the San Francisco one it’s supposed to say Anitoch not Millbrae

[@VOLTRONDEFENDER4440]

With the new time display its easy to catch the new train

[@evanstonbalce9588]

Yeah, it is predictable now, two doors for old cars and three doors for new ones

[@colin7244]

You missed one big part of the bart apporaching the station when it's going to richmond, before it even approaches you can hear the loud rumble and echo from the section of tracks where their is no wall when the train is like 2minutes or 1 minute away from the station

[@Photobuffeddy_AGS]

Cool 🆒

[@dominictauane]

It's want I'm thinking it's feeling doors of the future BART train

[@jordanwong461]

Nice Video! Bart needs to shorten all their trains to 4 car trains and make frequency every 2-6 min on all lines like here in Vancouver. 10+ min is too long.

[@kyleluna757]

I like the legacy Bart Train

[@chromebomb]

nice

[@Bisonsaeeetern]

Havent heard bart’s engine in a long time

[@camanimations9500]

I heard they are selling the legacy trains,do you know how much they are selling for?

[@iMatti00]

Why do some trains have the conductor pull all the way to the end of the platform, and some don’t?

[@PHope-sl4nj]

I Went To This Station.

[@timmymak2023]

What’s up with the horn

[@kbtay1988]

Do the train lengths differ by destination? Read somewhere lengths vary between 3 and 10 cars.

[@BayAreaTransitNews]

They vary based on time of day and line. Trains are always between 4 and 10 cars.

[@4trainfan909]

Those legacy trains sound like r142a in nuc

[@TheSearleFamily123]

But they are much high-pitched because it has a different model of inverter.

[@joezegers]

These cars look much more reliable than the R179s that Bombardier made just before these.

[@milo.721]

13:17 that’s mr creasman

[@PHope-sl4nj]

Both Red And Orange Lines.

[@mrbreadcrumb]

Is there a website to find where Bart assigns there new fleet?

[@BayAreaTransitNews]

No, but you will be able to tell where they are as soon as their app gets updated to show you two- and three-door trains.

[@mrbreadcrumb]

@@BayAreaTransitNews thanks for the info. I was around north Berkeley yesterday and also managed to catch two new fleets.

[@BayAreaTransitNews]

@@mrbreadcrumb Nice! BART just updated their website yesterday, so now you can track where all the new trains are with real-time departures.

[@mrbreadcrumb]

@@BayAreaTransitNews that's good for future reference

[@sashaweeds6318]

Do y'all trains having the married paired system to?

[@evanstonbalce9588]

sasha weeds No, not all cars have operator’s cab.

[@starthomas3762]

What the Richmond Bart appeared out of nowhere

[@dominictauane]

Do not to Door train

[@PHope-sl4nj]

This City Is In Berkeley.

[@Aviationfan2022]

1:49 12:02

[@chainsmokerecords9481]

Hold on folks,we just gonna sit here for 10 to 15 minutes. We are waiting for the train in opposite direction to pass.we are using a single track for all trains.hope your late to work.

[@retailadventures6]

chain smoke records why did you say this

[@ryy4n_]

Wait have you even been on bart?

[@borism1976]

wu I okkkk p ti99 p we i I a 5th uh , but the

[@YukariAkiyama]

Dude, I bet you’ve never even seen a real BART train.

[@YukariAkiyama]

Boris Mikhitanr/ihadastroke

[@redrocketreal]

X=. Sweeper

[@its-LuqmanVlogs]

Just like the washington metro system.

[@atomstarfireproductions8695]

Also, Washington Metro 1000 and Bart A stock were built by Rohr (they seem to have shared the same body shape).

[@evanstonbalce9588]

Their track gauges are different from each other

[@PHope-sl4nj]

Rush Hour.

[@Sirjsminis]

making this in Lego! follow @legobarttrain to see updates

[@plixplop]

The new trains are nice but the stark white LED lighting feels like a surgery room.

[@nicolasblume1046]

I wonder if we will ever gonna see the Bart services increased to a 10 minute frequency in the peak (which is necessary for it to actually be a good transit system) It would be possible.

[@TohaBgood2]

That's what they're doing literally right now with the new upgrades! Higher frequencies on BART require a new train control system, which is in the process of being installed, and trains with more doors, which are being put into service right now. Not sure if they can go to 10 minute frequencies exactly without more upgrades, but we are getting 12 minute frequencies after they finish installing the new equipment, getting all the new trains, and doing requisite track maintenance. That means 2minutes and change frequencies in most of the system! This is bona fide subway frequency with no caveats. Finally BART becoming a full metro/subway! After that, there are a few more ways to increase frequencies even more. One relatively* easy way is to increase top speeds back up to 80mph from the reduced 70mph "top speed" they adopted a few years ago. Just bumping top speeds back to 80 mph would get us to 10.5-11 minute frequencies. We could mount a public pressure campaign to force BART to go back to it's higher original top speed. This speed reduction was ostensibly done to save on maintenance costs, but it is pretty transparently just a way for BART to be able to claim better on-time performance. (I'm sure that there are maintenance advantages as well, but claiming that that was the main reason is pretty ludicrous imho.) BART trains still regularly run at 80mph when they are behind the schedule and are catching back up. Part of the reason why BART needed this cheat was the poor state of repair of the old fleet and all the delays that that was generating. Another factor was the state of repair of the track infrastructure. They are now getting brand new trains and are fixing at least some of the more glaring infrastructure issues. I'm sure that they could return to the old top speed with just a little more investment in track infrastructure. Another way to increase frequencies beyond the 10 minute mark is to finally build the second Bay crossing. The major reason why BART can only run at 15/12 minute frequencies now is the capacity of the Transbay tube. Obviously, with another tunnel we could double BART frequencies overnight. The rest of the system can sustain that, but the Transbay tunnel is the choke point. But that is a very long and expensive process. It _is_ underway, but will take a long time.

[@vikrambalaji4126]

post pandemic ridership levels kinda nullified any reason to do that

[@dominictauane]

Oh boo

[@starthomas3762]

Who lives in millbrae

[@YukariAkiyama]

Sorry bro, I live closer to Embarcadero

[@4trainfan909]

IS THIS THE L TRAIN

[@phillipkalaveras1725]

BART employees pencil in their hours and routinely give themselves 20 to 60% more hours than actually worked. Electronic time clocks were brought in a few years back but BART stood on strike until they were removed. It is so bad some BART janitors make $200,000+ a year.

[@Ben-wp5rx]

If you think about it it’s what they need to live here though, I think good paying jobs are worth the money especially when it’s something so important like public transportation