BART to OAK airport connector opening 11/22/14

[CHamilton]

BART to OAK service to open in time for Thanksgiving travel

Bay Area Rapid Transit's (BART) new train to plane service, "BART to OAK," which provides an easy connection to Oakland International Airport, will open in time for Thanksgiving travel on November 22, 2014.
Starting on November 22, riders will be able to board one of four three-car automated people movers at either the Coliseum Station or the Oakland International Airport Station and take the eight-minute ride at 30 mph.

 

[jebr]

Of course. Now I'll have to go back in order to keep my ace of the BART system.

 

[CHamilton]

We pointed it out to you at the Gathering!



Photo by NorthShore, pointer by CHamilton

 

[BCL]

Personally I think this is a boondoggle (spending almost a half-billion when the bus connector cost a few million a year to operate), but I'll be interested in what it looks like.

I'm wondering if it's possible to get there and back to the Coliseum station without exiting the faregates.

 

[NorthShore]

Haha....I was wondering if this was my cue to post that photo. Glad you did, Charlie!

 

[calwatch]

It is pricy though - $6 compared to the existing $3 cost. If I'm not in a hurry I will continue to take the AC Transit 73 bus. It stops at both ends for only a few minutes extra travel time.

 

[BCL]

It is pricy though - $6 compared to the existing $3 cost. If I'm not in a hurry I will continue to take the AC Transit 73 bus. It stops at both ends for only a few minutes extra travel time.

I'm thinking of checking it out, if only to take it to the new station and heading back before going to my final destination. I guess that's cheating.

 

[jebr]

Yeah, $6 one-way is really too much, in my opinion, especially since that's on top of the existing BART fare.

Though I'm also generally surprised with how expensive transit is in California (especially the Bay Area.) Oof.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Yeah, $6 one-way is really too much, in my opinion, especially since that's on top of the existing BART fare.

Though I'm also generally surprised with how expensive transit is in California (especially the Bay Area.) Oof.

The NE and the NEC are even worse! Best deals I've seen are Seattle, Portland, Chicago and DFW!!!

 

[chakk]

And that $6 one-way ticket price is for an 8 minute ride. The public can try it out for free on November 21. Effective November 22, the bus connection is terminated.

The rail connection will run to midnight 7 days per week.

 

[BCL]

And that $6 one-way ticket price is for an 8 minute ride. The public can try it out for free on November 21. Effective November 22, the bus connection is terminated.

The rail connection will run to midnight 7 days per week.

BART's surcharge to SFO is effectively $4. It's pretty much integrated into the fare. I think the only exception is starting at Millbrae, where the full fare is $4.25. That's effectively treated as an airport shuttle. The next closest station is San Bruno, where the fare to SFO is $6.40. Airport employees have a special deal where they don't have to pay the surcharge.

There used to be a free shuttle from Millbrae Caltrain to SFO. Of course that got discontinued. If it didn't, I think a lot of passengers would have gotten off at Millbrae and taken that. If you need to take Caltrain to SFO, the most logical means is to take BART, although a taxi might be cheaper with four passengers.

 

[CHamilton]

BART connector to Oakland airport out of service

The new BART connector to Oakland International Airport was out of service Friday morning because of a mechanical problem, an agency spokesman said.

BART issued an advisory shortly before 10 a.m. about the issue. The disruption on the Oakland Airport Connector means BART riders can’t ride directly to and from the airport.

Travelers should take AC Transit Line 73. BART was trying to establish a bus bridge with buses that would run more frequently.

“There is a trackside problem with the new system that we are working on, but I don’t have a time of when that may be resolved,” said BART spokesman Jim Allison.

It was unclear whether the issue had to do with the weather, he said.

 

[CHamilton]

One year anniversary will mark one million rides on BART to OAK

 

[BCL]

It is pricy though - $6 compared to the existing $3 cost. If I'm not in a hurry I will continue to take the AC Transit 73 bus. It stops at both ends for only a few minutes extra travel time.

I got a good look at the 73 when I took someone to the airport. I could see (through the window) that it had luggage racks like you'd see on a typical airport shuttle - such as rental car shuttles, hotel buses, or dedicated airport buses (like VTA route 10).

 

[BCL]

OK - I used the new BART connector for the first time yesterday. Just a few comments.

I wasn't sure exactly where the fare gates would be. It turned out that as you enter the airport connector portion of the station, there are exit fare gates there that charge the $6 surcharge. There is no way in or out (except for emergency exits) once you enter this area except through the fare gates again or via the connector train. They have ticket machines inside this area. There are no ticket machines at the airport end.

If someone came off the street at the Coliseum BART station, the only way to the BART connector would be entering through the regular fare gates, walking down the platform to the connector portion, then immediately exit via the connector's fare gates with a $6 charge.