June 2003
BART Goes International With Extension to SFO
BART’s four new stations (clockwise from upper left):
Millbrae, SFO, San Bruno and South San Francisco (photos by John Benson)
New BART-Caltrain Link at Millbrae Creates Integrated Rail Network
If Bay Area winds seem to be blowing a little more strongly than usual, it could be the
result of Bay Area commuters, travelers and policymakers exhaling en masse after holding
their collective breath for more than a decade. After years of sometimes contentious
planning, funding battles, environmental difficulties and construction challenges, the $1.5
billion BART extension to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is finally complete and
open for service.
The 8.7-mile addition to the existing 95 miles of BART tracks includes new stations in
South San Francisco, San Bruno and Millbrae as well as at SFO, which currently hosts 31
million passengers per year. With the new extension, San Francisco joins the list of
world-class cities that have direct rail access to their airports.
“The new line is not only a connection to the rest of the Bay Area, but a connection
to the rest of the world,” said James Fang, vice president of the BART Board of
Directors, in a recent briefing. “We have created a gateway to the Pacific
Rim.”
The SFO station is located within walking distance of both the international ticket desks
and United Airlines’ domestic ticket counters. Travelers bound for other terminals
can take a short escalator ride up one level to access AirTrain, the airport’s free,
automated people mover that circulates internally among the various terminals, parking lots
and rental car concessions.
At the terminus in Millbrae, a joint platform directly links the Caltrain and BART systems,
creating an integrated, nearly 200-mile rail network enabling a journey from Pittsburg in
the East Bay to Gilroy in the South Bay with only a single transfer.
“This intermodal connection vastly multiplies the benefits of the extension for the
residents of the Bay Area as well as for the visitors who will flock to the new line from
around the world,” said MTC Executive Director Steve Heminger.
Paul Oversier, assistant general manager of operations for BART, predicts that the Millbrae
station “will be the busiest one on the extension — even busier than the highly
anticipated marquee station at SFO.”
A Y-shaped connector provides travelers and airport employees alike several pathways to
SFO, depending on which direction people are going. Northbound Caltrain riders who
disembark at Millbrae can hop onto a special BART shuttle train that runs to and from SFO.
Travelers headed southward can ride the Dublin/Pleasanton train, which deadends at the SFO
BART station, or take the Pittsburg/Bay Point line to Millbrae, where they can catch a
short ride on the special Millbrae-SFO BART shuttle. On weekdays, they also can catch one
of the special commute-hour Pittsburg/Bay Point trains that go directly to and from SFO.
(The Richmond and Fremont lines end at Daly City, requiring a transfer to continue toward
the airport; BART recommends Balboa Park as the easiest transfer station.)
To encourage travelers to arrange a ride or take adjoining public transit routes to their
local BART station, only three BART stations — all of them in the East Bay —
will offer long-term parking.
Each of the new stations is architecturally unique. The scale of the Millbrae station and
pavilion-style architecture emphasize the site’s importance as a gateway. The
interior of the San Bruno station is reminiscent of classic train stations of yore, while
the vaulted roof of the South San Francisco station echoes San Bruno Mountain and the
surrounding foothills.
Artistic touches also abound. The underground walls of the South San Francisco station
display 16 glass murals depicting historic images of the city that appear to morph as
observers pass. At the SFO station, a kinetic sculpture emphasizes the shared space between
BART and AirTrain: The circular wall encasing the escalator and bridging the two systems is
sheathed with thin steel disks that move and shimmer when arriving and departing trains
create wind.
Even if you are not planning a trip anytime soon, these new BART stations — in all
their pristine glory — are destinations in themselves. This is especially true at
SFO.
“The double deck structure is 44 feet up at the BART platform level and 68 feet up at
the AirTrain level,” said Molly McArthur, BART’s manager of community relations
for West Bay extensions. “It’s just a grand view of the jumbo jets.”
— Deanna Yick
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