BART wins grant to fund future rail-car order

The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) yesterday announced it will award $107 million to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) for the purchase of new rail cars. 

The grant will go toward purchasing 306 new rail cars, a $1.1 billion total investment. 

The grant is being awarded to BART through CalSTA’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, which provides $500 million for rail improvement projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California. 

Expanding its fleet is a critical part of BART's Transbay Corridor Core Capacity Program, which eventually will allow the agency to increase the trains it operates through the Transbay Tube, BART officials said in a press release.

The Transbay Tube is a rail tunnel that runs under the San Francisco Bay between San Francisco and Oakland, California.

“Though our ridership has dropped dramatically due to the coronavirus pandemic, the agency [CalSTA] recognizes that eventually riders will return to BART and we need to add more cars to address future demand for transbay trips,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers.