What some of you whiners do not seem to get, is that BART is not building a damn thing in San Jose, or Santa Clara either. It is outside the the BART district and they have no authority to do anything there. If you have disagreements with the project, you should take it up with the Santa Clara County's VTA; because that is who is making all the decisions and preparing to build the line. And also who is spending the all the money.

Their plan is to build the tracks and wayside train controls compatible with existing BART. But what is STUPID, is that the cars themselves, though able to operate on BART track, will not be able to interact or couple to existing BART cars. This is grossly stupid because it will require that they purchase at least double the rolling stock than they otherwise would have needed. The trunk line up through Oakland will end up with separate VTA trains and BART trains, each incompatable with the other.

After it has been built, VTA will retain ownership south of the county line, but the is plan to have BART operate it under contract. That contract stipulates that BART must build south from Fremont to the county line to meet the VTA building north.

But there never has been any real point to this BART extension, except to meet the VTA, which is one reason why it has not already been built. The other reason it wasn't built before now is even more critical. It seems that the city of Fremont, in their infinite arrogant specialness, has imposed close to a billion dollars in absolutely unnecessary frills to the project. BART balked at this stupidity, and tabled the project. But now, with VTA coming, BART must build it now, billion dollars in frills and all. Fremont got its way after all.

I have said this before, A very major cause of the excessive cost of transit in California is not so much BART, or any other transit agency, as it is the local municipalities giving away the store, demanding every unnecessary bell and whistle - you know, always kissing NYMBY aarss.

Continuing this tiresome whining about "BART" will not solve anything. But going after the real causes just might. Unless of course, you just prefer to whine.

OPB.