Roll with Us: From the third rail to station lightbulbs, BART Electricians keep the system energized

Interested in becoming a BART Electrician? Visit bart.gov/jobs and search for “Electrician.” Pay range: $38.33/hour to $50.11/hour.

BART Electrician Paul Dimapasoc pictured at BART's Oakland Yard.

When you’re an electrician at BART – a system comprised of more than 130 miles of track and 50 stations – each day delivers something different.

“Some days, we’re forty feet in the air splicing 34.5kV cable in a bucket truck,” said BART Electrician Paul Dimapasoc. “Other days, we’re changing lightbulbs in a station.”

BART Electricians install, troubleshoot, and maintain the electrical equipment throughout the system. Almost daily, Dimapasoc said, he’s reminded that “there’s so much more to learn about electricity, especially at BART.”

“I used to think 480 volts was high, now I work with 34,500 volts!” he said with a laugh.

Before coming to BART, Dimapasoc worked as a master electrician for a printing company. When print material began to give way to digital matter, the printing company started to falter.  

“As the father of a single-income family, I experienced a lot of stress when my employer wasn’t doing well. When my company struggled, my family struggled,” Dimapasoc said. “I just wish I had gotten to BART sooner.”

Minutes after Dimapasoc was interviewed for this story, he received a message from a former coworker: The printing company had just announced plans to close the Merced plant where Dimapasoc had worked.

For Dimapasoc, working at BART was a lifelong dream. His father, Moises, worked for 27 years as a BART train car cleaner. Moises instilled in his son “the importance of working with a union company that rewards its employees with a lifetime pension and a lifetime medical plan,” Dimapasoc said.

“The last thing I want is to become a financial burden on my four children when my wife and I are old,” he said.

But, Dimapasoc stressed, if you want it, you’ll have to work for it. When Dimapasoc started at BART, for example, he commuted six hours a day roundtrip from Chowchilla, Calif.

“We’ll train you how BART works,” Dimapasoc said. “But we won’t train you how to work.”  

Dimapasoc’s advice for aspiring BART Electricians? “Focus on your craft and never be afraid to ask why.” In the electrical field, he said, “Communication can save your life.”

“Being an electrician is very rewarding. But you mustn’t lose sight that it can also be dangerous,” he said.

BART’s third rail, which powers the trains, runs on 1,000-volt DC electricity. For comparison, a typical car battery voltage measures 12.6 volts. With that much power pulsing through the system, BART Electricians always make safety their top priority.

“You have to be ready at all times,” Dimapasoc said. “I’m always listening to the radio, always making sure my PPE, my tools, and my truck are ready in case of an emergency.”

BART Electricians like Dimapasoc are often first responders in emergency situations. When something goes wrong near or on the rails, BART Electricians are among the first to arrive. Their job is a crucial one: turn off third-rail power and verify no voltage is running through it.

For Dimapasoc, it’s all in a day’s work. He admits his long hours can be demanding, but for him, it’s worth it.

“I am proud to say my family thinks of me as a hard worker. That’s how I want my family to remember me,” he said. “I worked hard because I love them.”

Interested in a career as a BART Electrician? Visit bart.gov/jobs and search for “Electrician.”

The minimum qualifications for BART Electricians are:

• Minimum of three years’ experience in the installation, maintenance and/or repair of varied electrical systems and equipment OR
• Completion of an apprenticeship in the electrical trade and a minimum of one year journey-level experience that included the installation, maintenance, or repair of varied electrical systems and equipment. Experience with high voltages and industrial or plant equipment is desirable.