TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE

August/September 2000

BART: Next Stop SFO
Bay Area commuters and visitors have reason to rejoice: Crews have passed the halfway point in the construction of the highly anticipated 8.7-mile BART extension south from Colma to San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

"Construction is advancing steadily," said Dave Madden, the project's communication officer. "This is a huge project and we've made substantial progress."

Work started in 1997. Despite some setbacks, BART is still aiming for an opening date in mid-2002.

Four new BART stations will be added at a cost of about $1.5 billion: South San Francisco, San Bruno, San Francisco International Airport and Millbrae.

Crews are working simultaneously on all four stations as well as the mainline tracks and the aerial "wye" structure that will bring trains into the airport's new international terminal. Nearly four miles of the 6-mile subway south of Colma have been completed.

BART trains will link up with the Caltrain commuter rail system at the Millbrae station, the new terminus for BART trains heading south from San Francisco.

From San Francisco and the East Bay, BART trains will run directly to the airport or to Millbrae. From the south, BART plans a dedicated shuttle train operating between the SFO and Millbrae stations. At the airport, air travelers will disembark within walking distance of their ticket counters or the airport's planned AirTrain internal people mover.

Once BART begins service, the trip from downtown San Francisco to the airport will take under 30 minutes.
-- Patrick Runkle

Whether you're heading to SFO's new international terminal, catching a domestic flight or simply commuting to the Peninsula, BART's 8.7-mile extension will get you from downtown San Francisco to the airport and Millbrae in under 30 minutes.

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