Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART

Sometimes all it takes is changing something as small as how BART cleaners store and keep track of their mops to make a big improvement in the rider experience. On this edition of "Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART," Chris Filippi from the BART Communications Department is joined by Jessie Rubin who is BART’s Senior Manager of Performance and Innovation. Rubin’s team is leading an effort to take some of the best ideas from BART staff and turn them into real-world improvements that can transform the daily rider experience. This “from the bottom up” effort to spur innovation is giving employees a voice and it’s really true that if there is something that is a pain point for a BART employee, it’s likely also an issue for riders. Read the transcript: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2025/news20251014

There's a new sport gaining popularity across the globe, transit speedrunning, and today we'll take a deep dive into what it takes to speedrun BART. On the latest edition of BART's podcast series “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART” Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost speaks with three guests who have set records speedrunning BART. A speedrun is the total time it takes to travel through all 50 BART stations. It's a race against the clock to ride every BART line as fast as possible. Ameen DaCosta, Enzo Wu, and Adam, who runs the YouTube page, “Adam Does Not Exist” share their exploits and talk about what it could take to set an even faster record. Read the transcript here: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2024/news20241226

The accuracy of Swiss timing is well known across the globe. But it’s the precision, coordination, and prioritization of their transit system that has the potential to benefit riders here in the Bay Area. On the latest edition of our podcast series, “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART.” Chris Filippi, speaks with BART Manager of Strategic and Policy Planning Hannah Lindelof, who was recently part of a study group that visited Switzerland. The trip allowed Lindelof to observe their integrated transit system in action. She’s now back and shares lessons learned about how the Bay Area can put the rider first and make public transit the most appealing option for more people. Read the transcript here: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2024/news20240827

BART’s base train schedule now consists of all new Fleet of the Future trains, a major milestone for a project that’s been more than a decade in the making. On our latest edition of “Hidden Tracks: Stories From BART,” Project Manager John Garnham reveals how fast the new cars speed along BART’s test track, explains why the process of building the outer shell is a bit like using a classic DIY toy and other insider nuggets. Read the transcript: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2024/news20240109

Not One More Girl is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at stopping gender-based violence and sexual harassment on public transportation. BART has been a partner in the campaign that first launched in April of 2021. Not One More Girl just launched its second phase, which places an emphasis on enabling people to have a greater sense of empowerment in a harassment situation. On this episode of Hidden Tracks, BART's Anna Duckworth speaks with Anyka Howard, founder and CEO of the Betti Ono Foundation, which partnered with the Unity Council's Latin X Mentorship and Achievement Program and BART for phase two of the Not One More Girl campaign. Read the transcript: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2023/news20230927-0

Mobility as a Service or MaaS is one of the hottest topics in public transportation. While the subject may be new for some, there's little question it impacts you every time you get on a BART train and its reach has potential to go even beyond that. Chris Filippi is your host for this episode of "Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART" and he's joined by BART's Director of Technology, Angie West, and Tim Moore, BART's Manager of Web Services. Both are here to talk about MaaS and its far-reaching impacts. Read the transcript: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2023/news20230426

Changes coming in September will revolutionize BART’s schedule by adding a layer of consistency in the timing of trains across all 7 days of the week that will be unlike anything BART riders have experienced in the last 50 years. The latest edition of BART’s podcast series “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART” explores what the schedule change means for you and takes an inside look at everything you’ve ever wanted to know about how the schedule is made. BART’s Manager of Scheduling and Planning John FitzGibbon explains how new software has transformed what used to be the transit equivalent of sausage making into a coordinated symphony that has the prospect to save valuable time for thousands of riders. Read the transcript here: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2022/news20220901-0

BART has set an ambitious goal to get at least half of its power from renewable sources by 2025 but the Bay Area likely won’t have to wait that long. On the latest edition of our podcast series, “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART” you’ll hear from BART Energy Manager Paul Bostrom who is spearheading the District’s clean power efforts. BART is well known for its impact on the Bay Area environment by taking thousands of cars off the roadways. The District is already greenhouse gas emission free. But now the focus is on increasing BART’s reliance on wind, solar, and hydroelectric power sources. Bostrom talks about BART’s progress and his recent visit to the Sky River Wind Farm, one of the District’s newest sources of energy. Innovative projects like the Sky River Wind Farm are expected to help BART increase its reliance on renewable energy from 5% to as much as 50% over the next year. Read the transcript: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2021/news20211221

There are few people who can claim a career path like the one followed by Tamar Allen. Over a span that stretches across four decades Allen has worn many hats ranging from police officer to Assistant General Manager. Allen has played a critical role in some of the largest projects in BART’s history including the $3.5 billion Measure RR rebuilding program and the procurement of the Fleet of the Future. But Allen’s legacy will be largely defined by the systemic change and reforms she brought to the district. Those efforts helped to usher in a spirt of inclusion and respect at BART that opened the doors of opportunity for many current employees. Read the transcript here: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2021/news20210729

From new platform signs to making the most out of millions of pieces of data, BART is going through an innovation revolution that’ll have a big impact on the rider experience. On the latest edition of “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART” we’ll go into the lab to meet Wendy Wheeler who is BART’s Manager of Computer Systems Engineering. Wheeler is one of BART’s leading innovators and she’s pushing for some major changes. That’s especially true when it comes to BART’s digital platform signs. Upgrades have already been made to make it easier to tell if the next train is part of the Fleet of the Future but that’s just the beginning. Take a listen to learn about the technological advancements in the pipeline for BART riders. Read the transcript here: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2020/news20200117

Rain can have a major impact on the Bay Area’s commute and BART is no exception. “Welcome to Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART.” On this edition of Hidden Tracks, we’re answering your questions about why BART so often faces delays when it rains. BART has a game plan to keep weather-related issues to a minimum that’s put into action by a team with decades of experience. Preparation and hard work are key. The effort began well before this winter’s storms arrived. Grounds crews worked for months to trim back trees and brush that could be threatened by powerful winds and rain. That effort has led to a sharp decline in the number of trackway obstructions compared with last winter. Read the transcript: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2019/news20190226

More BART riders than ever before can now ride the Fleet of the Future through the Transbay Tube. By mid-February, every transbay line will be served by a Fleet of the Future train. As more new cars arrive, BART is expanding its hands-on training for the operators who will run the new fleet. On the latest edition of our podcast series, “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART” we’ll learn more about the preparation that goes into being a Fleet of the Future Train Operator. We’ll hear from one of the first graduates of the training program and learn what it’s like to operate one of BART’s newest trains. Read the transcript here: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2019/news20190116

It takes a team effort to carry more than 413,000 riders on a typical weekday. On the latest edition of our podcast series “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART” we meet Operations and Transportation Supervisor Phaethon Brown who oversees all station operations throughout the system. Brown has spent more than 17 years with BART including 13 as a Station Agent. He's one of the few people who has been assigned to every BART station. Those years of service on the front lines of customer service give Brown invaluable insight on how BART really works and what it takes to keep things moving during the commute. Read the transcript: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2018/news20180711-1