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SweaterFest is back!  

On Saturday, Dec. 7, we invite you to rock your BART ugly sweater (and other BART holiday merch) and toast the season for a jubilant community celebration in the plaza at Rockridge Station.  

What to expect: Live music, transit-themed crafts (did someone say paper ticket wreaths?), family friendly activities, and photo opps! If you've been collecting stamps for your BART Stamp Passport, bring it to the event to get the new SweaterFest stamp. We'll be handing out a special prize (it's a surprise, but you'll love it!) for those who have five or more stamps in their passports, including the new SweaterFest stamp. 

We’ll take a group photo of everyone in their sweaters during the event at 2:30pm.  

What: SweaterFest ‘24 

When: Saturday, Dec. 7, 1pm to 4pm 

Where: Rockridge Station Plaza 

More than 6,000 people are proud owners of a BART holiday sweater, and we want to gather as many of you as possible. The event is free and open to everyone – even those of you who don’t own a BART holiday sweater (what gives?!). Got a sweater from a previous year? Wear it! 

We will have hundreds of 2024 holiday sweaters available for purchase at the event, along with the suite of additional 2024 BART holiday merch: sweater vests, beanies, scarves. Railgoods will be selling non-holiday BART merch as well, including new Railgoods gift cards, a great option for the hard-to-shop-for people in your life. 

You can also preorder holiday merch on Railgoods.com and at checkout, select the option to pick up your items at SweaterFest. 

Can’t make it to SweaterFest? You have multiple options to get your hands on BART holiday merch: 

Railgoods Holiday Popups (limited inventory) 

Wednesday, Nov. 20, 3pm to 6pm, El Cerrito del Norte Station  

Saturday, Dec. 7, 1pm to 4pm, Sweaterfest at Rockridge Station  

Thursday, Dec. 12, 3pm to 6pm, Dublin/Pleasanton Station 

Preorder on Railgoods.com 

If you preorder your items on Railgoods.com, at checkout you will have the option to: 

• Pick up your order at SweaterFest on Saturday, Dec. 7, 1pm-4pm, at Rockridge Station.  
• Ship your order for a fee. Items will begin shipping the week of December 9.  
• Pick up your sweater at BART's Customer Services Center at Lake Merritt Station (hours: M-F 8:30am to 4:45pm). If you select this option, you will receive an email when your order is ready. Orders should be available for pickup the week of December 9. 

If you preordered a sweater this summer... 

If you preordered your holiday merch this summer, you should have either received your order or it will arrive shortly. Those who selected the in-store pickup option during the presale should keep an eye out for an alert that their order is ready for pickup.   

You can also win holiday merch from BARTable! Sign up for the BARTable This Week newsletter on bart.gov/bartable to enter holiday sweepstakes and to hear about fun holiday events by BART stations.   

Heading to Hardly Strictly at Golden Gate Park this weekend? Public transit is your best bet there and back, and BART and Muni are here to help!

BART riders heading to Hardly Strictly from the East Bay can take a train to Powell Station. Transfer to a Muni 5 Fulton bus or 5R Fulton Rapid on Market Street and ride to Golden Park. 

BART riders coming up from San Mateo County or San Francisco can take a train to Civic Center Station and transfer to a Muni N Judah train on the upper level of the station. The N Judah train will run near Golden Gate Park on Irving and Judah Streets.

Rider Tips

Parking is free at all BART stations except Milpitas and Berryessa (which are operated by VTA) on Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1. Pay for parking easily on the BART app.

Before you leave home put a Clipper card on your cellphone through either Apple Pay or Google Pay. Clipper is waiving the $3 new-card fee for riders who add either of the mobile options. Please ensure you have sufficient funds for a round trip. Plan at the cost of your trip in advance.

Real-time departures and train alerts can be found at bart.gov/eta or on the BART app. 

Hardly Strictly is only of many amazing events happening in the Bay Area this weekend! Learn more at BARTable This Weekend here!

BART’s effort to rebuild its aging infrastructure is on track and is delivering results by improving the system’s reliability and overall safety. That’s the main conclusion from a new annual report issued by the independent panel of experts overseeing the Measure RR rebuilding program. The report will be presented to the BART Board of Directors at its meeting today, August 24.

The independent Bond Oversight Committee’s new Annual Report says through March 2023 $1.57 billion of Measure RR funds had been invested in rebuilding the backbone of BART. There are now 152 RR-supported projects that are in planning, design, construction, or have been completed. A total of 48 projects are complete, up from 36 when the committee issued its previous annual report in 2022.
 
46% of all anticipated Measure RR work has already been completed. The Bond Oversight Committee wrote the progress is ahead of projections made by BART in 2016 when Measure RR was put before BART District voters. The committee wrote it “believes BART is delivering rebuilding projects in a timely manner and that the work is improving the reliability and safety of the system.”

Significant accomplishments in the last year include:

*Substantial completion of the 34.5kV (kilovolt) traction power cable replacement work in downtown San Francisco.
*Completed trackway demolition and restoration for the Transbay Tube retrofit.
*Station modernization projects completed at Powell Street Station in downtown San Francisco and 19th Street Station in downtown Oakland.
*The number of service delays due to rail-related issues dropped from 217 in 2021 to 95 in 2022.
*Issuance of $700 million in climate-certified Green Bonds to ensure uninterrupted funding of RR projects.

Bond Oversight Committee members have unrestricted access to BART documents, hold quarterly public meetings to review the progress of the Measure RR rebuilding program, and are focused on ensuring BART is spending bond money in a manner consistent with what was promised to voters. You can learn more about the committee at bart.gov/bondoversight.

Measure RR is a $3.5 billion bond measure that was approved by voters in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties in 2016. The Bond Oversight Committee is comprised of seven members who represent a diversity of expertise. The organizations represented on the committee include the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Association for Budgeting and Financial Management section of the American Society for Public Administration, the Project Management Institute, and the League of Women Voters.

The BART Board of Directors annual workshop will be held Thursday, February 8, 2024, and for the first time, it will include a lively panel discussion with transit advocates, policy experts, and key stakeholders to discuss what is needed to develop and successfully pass a regional transportation funding measure to provide long-term funding for BART and all Bay Area transit agencies.

The panel discussion is free and open to the public and will take place from 9am-noon in the BART boardroom (2150 Webster Street, Oakland) and on Zoom. This is an exciting opportunity for the BART board, BART employees, news media, and members of the public to hear a variety of perspectives about what transit operators need to do in the next 30 months to achieve a successful transportation measure in 2026, including improvements to the customer experience and policy reforms. 

In addition to the experts on the panel, Rebecca Long from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission will help us set the stage for the discussion, as they are leading the effort to secure long term funding for transit.

Public comment related to the panel topic will be taken at the end of the panel discussion. 

The second half of the Board Workshop will include informational staff presentations on BART’s operating budget projections and BART’s capital program to fund and deliver projects that ensure safe, reliable, and frequent service. Staff will also introduce a new customer commitment and review the changes underway to improve the customer experience. 

View the agenda and presentations.

Panel Details

Moderator: Karen Philbrick, PhD, Mineta Transportation Institute, San Jose State University

Panelists:

• Alicia John-Baptiste, President and CEO, SPUR

• Darrell Owens, Policy and Data Analyst and Advocate, East Bay Transit Riders Union

• Emily Loper, Vice President of Public Policy, Bay Area Council

• Ian Griffiths, Co-Founder and Policy Director, Seamless Bay Area

• Jeff Shaffer, President/Business Agent, Local 1277, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)

When: February 8th, 9am-noon

Where: In person in the BART Boardroom, 2150 Webster Street, Oakland, or via Zoom by calling

833-548-0282 and entering access code 822 5984 8450 or logging in to Zoom.com and entering

access code 822 5984 8450.