BART in Operation—Innovations in Rapid Transit

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit System is the first completely new full-scale urban mass transportation system to be completed in the United States in approximately 70 yr. As such, it offered engineers an unusual opportunity to develop new technology in vehicle performance, use of electronics for automatic train controls and fare collection, esthetics, multiple use of transportation corridors, passenger station design, subway construction, and other aspects of rapid transit planning and construction. These features are described in this article, along with start-up problems encountered, early patronage, and the significance of the system to the economic well-being of the Bay Area.