The memorial at the San Bruno BART Station plaza based on a Dorothea Lange photograph of Mochida sisters departing for incarceration at Tanforan. (Photograph and Caption Courtesy of BART)

BART: Power of Art in Times of Tragedy

“It’s incredibly important to keep this history alive because, even though it happened 80 years ago, with Executive Order 9066, it’s still a history not everyone knows. It hasn’t been covered extensively in the history books. This exhibition is a place for remembrance and acknowledgement, education and healing.” —Na Omi Judy Shintani, Curator, “Tanforan Incarceration 1942; Resilience Behind Barbed Wire”

The BARTmobile was a "boon for photos" at BART's 50th anniversary celebration.

Transit Briefs: BART, DART, SacRT, WMATA

Thousands attend Bay Area Rapid Transit’s (BART) 50th anniversary celebration. Also, BART’s schedule changes go into effect with several improvements; Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Assurance Wireless partner to offer free cell phone service to eligible riders; the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) seeks input on new brand identity and logo; and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) celebrates the reigning National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) champion Washington Spirit with new commemorative Metro SmarTrip card.

The DART Police Department has been reaccredited by the Texas Police Chiefs Association Foundation (TPCAF).

Transit Briefs: DART, GoTriangle, NYMTA, Metrolinx, Caltrain, VIA Rail, MBTA

The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Police Department has been reaccredited by the Texas Police Chiefs Association Foundation (TPCAF). Also, a new study gives a clearer picture of commuter rail project in Research Triangle, N.C.; Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) commuter railroads set ridership records, Metrolinx selects development partner to transform Spadina-Front GO Station; Caltrain improves Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) connections and increases San Francisco and South San Francisco service with new weekday schedule; new report details “critical need” for the return of VIA Rail Canada’s commuter train service along the Kingston to Toronto corridor; and the City of Boston, along with Boston Public Schools (BPS) make Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) M7 student passes available year-round.

BART Manager of Scheduling and Planning John FitzGibbon (BART)
Commentary

Podcast: An Inside Look at BART’s Complex Scheduling Dance

Changes coming in September will revolutionize BART’s schedule by adding a layer of consistency in the timing of trains across all seven 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.

From left to right: INRD Director, Intermodal Operations Dan Corcoran; Director, Bridges and Real Estate Bernie Guerrettaz; and Supervisor, Maintenance of Way Doug Guyer.

People News: INRD, TriMet

The Indiana Rail Road Company (INRD) has promoted Dan Corcoran to Director, Intermodal Operations and is realigning its Engineering Department. Also, Mark Dorn joins TriMet as Executive Director.

The Trial Running testing phase is the final series of testing before Honolulu's rail system goes into operation.

Transit Briefs: HART, Metra, Oregon Metro, MBTA, Metrolinx, TTC, CTA, MDOT MTA, VTA-BART

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit (HART) announces Trial Running testing phase for the first segment of Honolulu’s rail system. Also, Metra adds service on its Union Pacific Northwest (UP-NW) Line and capacity on Metra Electric for Bike the Drive; Oregon Metro seeks proposals for 2023 Regional Transportation Plan community partnerships; Gov. Charlie Baker says Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Orange Line “on track” to finish on time; Metrolinx’s GO Train service to Niagara Falls continues year-round; The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) increases service as more customers return to transit; Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) “Ask CTA” program to foster engagement with customers; The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) brings real-time train arrival information to Light Rail; and innovative design suggestions surface for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Extension Phase II project.

On Sept. 12, 2022, the MBTA will launch a new, year-long pilot to test interest in weekday Commuter Rail service to Foxboro.

Transit Briefs: MBTA, CTA, BART, Amtrak, MDOT, RTD

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Foxboro Weekday Commuter Rail Service Pilot is scheduled to begin Sept. 12. Also, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) signs contract for new K-9 teams to be deployed across rail system; Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) commemorates its 50th anniversary with vintage arcade games; Amtrak breaks ground on two Americans with Disabilities (ADA) station upgrade projects and celebrates the completion of another; Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and head of Amtrak take train tour to see what needs to be done to bring Springfield’s rail lines back; Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will ramp up activities on the Purple Line project; and the Regional Transportation District (RTD) selects Dr. Joel Fitzgerald Sr. as Chief of Police and Emergency Management.

Metro's Fairview Heights K Line Station will provide the Inglewood community with a new rail connection to the city’s affordable and supportive housing, key entertainment venues and Metro’s 5.5-mile pedestrian and bicycle path now under construction.

Transit Briefs: LA Metro, BART, St. Louis Metro Transit, MTI

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) holds dedication ceremony for K Line’s Fairview Heights Station in Inglewood. Also, art installation at Bay Area Rapid Transit’s (BART) Warm Springs/Fremont Station captures beauty of station’s surroundings; Metro Transit in St. Louis, Mo., announces that service is returning on MetroLink’s Blue Line; and Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) issues new study regarding the changing patterns of violence on public transport.

The Clipper BayPass will provide approximately 50,000 Bay Area residents free access to all rail, bus and ferry services in the nine-county region.

Transit Briefs: BART, Metrolinx, CTA, Brightline, CATS, Caltrain, Ottawa LRT

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) launches Clipper BayPass with unlimited transit access. Also, heritage façade restoration is now complete at Metrolinx’s Mount Pleasant Station; the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Red Line Extension

Actor Will Smith with BART employees on-set of “The Pursuit of Happyness” in 2005. (Caption and Photograph Courtesy of BART)

50 Years of BART: Behind-the-Scenes Movie Filming

There’s an early scene in 2006 hit film “The Pursuit of Happyness” in which Chris Gardner, played by Will Smith, races to catch a San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train with the bone density scanner he’s hawking. Gardner makes it on the train, but the doors slam shut on his hand that holds the prized scanner.

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