BART rhymes with heart, and now we know why. This Valentine’s Day, you can experience speed dating on board a live train whisking you straight to romance. Forget Tinder, try Trainder!
You’ll start by putting on a name tag with space to write what you are looking for in a partner. The two-hour Valentraine experience includes icebreaker activities, conversation starters, a raffle and BART-themed valentines that you can give to that person or people who catch your eye.
To make sure that meaningful eye contact is held, the train will not be stopping. It boards at Downtown Berkeley Station and goes across the bay (transbay tunnel of love, right?!) to 24th St./Mission and then returns to Downtown Berkeley without ever stopping. This express train of love, if you will, follows the red line route—because what other color did you expect?
Here are a few more details you’ll need: The event is only open to adults ages 18 to 35; BART promises that it’s thinking about doing a similar event later for people who are older than 35. People of all sexual orientations are welcome—and people who just want to make friends are invited, too.
You must get an Eventbrite ticket to ride this special train. The ticket is free but the ride requires you to have a Clipper card loaded with at least $7.10 (the excursion fare) to be able to participate.
When you arrive at the downtown Berkeley station, look for the event signage inside on the concourse level under the rotunda, and be there no later than 6:45pm for check-in. If you’re late, you won’t be allowed to board. The train departs at 7:10pm and returns to the station by around 8:35pm—so basically you’ll have about 1.5 hours to find that special person.
Organizers suggest parking in the Ashby station lot in advance and then riding one stop up the line to get to Downtown Berkeley station in time, or investigating other lots or street parking in advance.
BART will make sure there are additional staff and a safety presence on each train car. The company has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual and gender-based harassment, consuming alcoholic beverages and illicit substances and engaging in disruptive/disturbing behavior in its trains and stations. You could be removed from the train—I guess that’s the only reason it will potentially stop mid-ride—if you violate any of these conditions.
This is an experimental event that, if successful, may lead to other such mixers in the future. BART organizers say this event arose out of hearing many stories of people meeting their life partners and friends on board.