BART is not building the San Jose Line, nor will it ever own it. But BART is set to operate it seamlessly with the rest of its own system. It is being built by the VTA of Santa Clara County.

But the NWP will probably be running 77.7 maglev trains a day before that actually happens! --- NO MONEY !

The current problem with BART is the ridiculous cost, much of which is caused by all the bells and whistles imposed by all the damn NYMBYs, and the BART board's inability to tell them to go to hell (they are politicians after all). But they shouldn't get all the blame either - even more of a problem is the fact that California state law highly favors contractors over municipalities and special districts - and over every one else too, for that matter. Contractors always see us coming!

The extension to the San Francisco Airport cost well over $150,000,000 per mile! Compare that to the $17mil to $25mil per mile (double track) nationwide average for heavy rail transit in suburban areas, or the $2mil to $4mil per track experienced by private industry.

What runs it up to $17 - $25 million? Electrification (especially third rail), total grade separation, fencing, those ineffective but ubiquitous sound walls, signaling for high density traffic, and the biggest expense of all - elaborate stations every couple of miles.

So what runs BART to $56mil in the Eastbay and $150mil to the airport? --- Simple! --- SUBWAYS! - and massive five foot thick concrete track pads (supposedly deadens sound - bull, they saw us coming!).

--- One other cause --- ripping up freeways and re-building them just to put the tracks in the middle at $300mil to $400mil per mile!

So just stop demanding subways and freeway reconstruction every time you build a BART track. You will save hundreds of millions of dollars per mile. Generally, the only place the extra expense of subways can be justified is in very tight quarters found mostly in central city cores. That is the very valid reason why BART should continue to oppose them elsewhere. No city is justified in spending its money on these NIMBY comforts either, when it will always be so badly needed elsewhere!

Just think, we maybe could use some of the savings to build more track - and maybe get it built before the coming inevitable economic collapse of the automobile prevents us from getting to work at all. NIMBYs be damned!

OPB