Things are becoming a lot easier on BART for passengers. The Passenger Information System—the digital screens inside each car—is being updated to show major transit connections at stations so that riders can better navigate switching to a different BART train or other mode of transit: Muni, cable cars, ferries, street cars and even Amtrak. Each will be color-coded to the color of the BART line as it appears on the adjacent system maps.
When you board a train, there are six screens inside that you can check when you approach a station to see what major transit lines you can board nearby. Riders approaching Embarcadero station will see an icon for ferry connections, and across the bay, Amtrak connection options will appear at Richmond and Coliseum stations. These updated screens will show up on trains in the coming weeks; previously, they only showed the name of the upcoming station but not any connection info.
Commenters responded to the news yesterday on the SF Bay Area Rapid Transit’s Instagram account with varying degrees of enthusiasm. “As an international traveler and a bay native, I’m so happy to see this upgrade. Trust me, tourists always remember the ease of local transportation,” said one person, while another wrote, “Welcome to the year 2000!” with an eye roll emoji. Many people begged for the screens to show the current time, while one asked for lights to flash on the side that the doors will open, one wanted the conductors to speak audibly into the microphone when making announcements and another said, “Do buses next please.” One person asked, “Can we get actual arrival times for the next Muni/train so we know to run or not on that seven minute T line transfer?” People have a lot of opinions, and we’re just glad to see improvements underway.
Speaking of which, this weekend buses will be running to replace trains between Walnut Creek and Concord on January 18 and 19 while decades-old track components are being replaced. Expect delays of 20-30 minutes and the cancellation of some early morning and late night trains.