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Re: BART on Geary?
Author: OldPoleBurner
Date: 01-02-2014 - 20:12
I beg to differ.
The goal was always to achieve a transbay train every 90 seconds, as originally promised the public in most every campaign ad, and even long before that. This absolutely required four BART tracks on Market St, through Oakland's Broadway and well beyond the Oakland Wye. It could not be done otherwise - period. And still can't! Given the hard physics of steel wheel on steel rail, it likely never will!
And the decision to scrap that idea - and any hope of trains 90 seconds apart, was not an afterthought of any sort. It was the inevitable and painful result of Marin backing out of the deal. However, the need to service the west side of SF, as promised those SF citizens in the bond issue, did not go away. But much of the money (shared costs with Marin) did vanish. Thus, after concluding that not enough money remained to build a full blown BART line into the Sunset district; it was decided that this service would be provided instead by having BART upgrade the Muni tunnel with what moneys were still allocated to this line from SF county. Finally, the upper subway tracks on Market St were transferred to Muni, so that service would at least approximate what those SF county dollars would have provided, had Marin not backed out. This left the switching space where the two Transbay Tube tracks were to spread out to four tracks completely empty void space; and also a void bore in Oakland as well. It was then presumed (by us) that the street level tracks would be removed, but they never were. eventually, the present F line began to use them - a Good thing indeed!
After this decision, one of the San Francisco Supervisors then got the idea to build the Embarcadero Station in that void, now unused space. That is why that platform is a tad too short, and why it was the last station to open. It was an afterthought (by the SF board - not BART); as was the the "Oakland West" station by the Oakland City Council, to appease the citizens of West Oakland, who expressed feeling left out.
Just so you all know where my info comes from, it is not researched, it is first hand. I was there at the time, assigned to work on BART just in time for BART to carry out this decision. I saw and extensively studied the original plan as I have outlined; as well as the new plan, and helped carry it out. Forty some odd years later, I am retired, but still remember my career well. Sometimes I still miss it; but for all practicality, I am mostly done - health reasons.
The goal was always to achieve a transbay train every 90 seconds, as originally promised the public in most every campaign ad, and even long before that. This absolutely required four BART tracks on Market St, through Oakland's Broadway and well beyond the Oakland Wye. It could not be done otherwise - period. And still can't! Given the hard physics of steel wheel on steel rail, it likely never will!
And the decision to scrap that idea - and any hope of trains 90 seconds apart, was not an afterthought of any sort. It was the inevitable and painful result of Marin backing out of the deal. However, the need to service the west side of SF, as promised those SF citizens in the bond issue, did not go away. But much of the money (shared costs with Marin) did vanish. Thus, after concluding that not enough money remained to build a full blown BART line into the Sunset district; it was decided that this service would be provided instead by having BART upgrade the Muni tunnel with what moneys were still allocated to this line from SF county. Finally, the upper subway tracks on Market St were transferred to Muni, so that service would at least approximate what those SF county dollars would have provided, had Marin not backed out. This left the switching space where the two Transbay Tube tracks were to spread out to four tracks completely empty void space; and also a void bore in Oakland as well. It was then presumed (by us) that the street level tracks would be removed, but they never were. eventually, the present F line began to use them - a Good thing indeed!
After this decision, one of the San Francisco Supervisors then got the idea to build the Embarcadero Station in that void, now unused space. That is why that platform is a tad too short, and why it was the last station to open. It was an afterthought (by the SF board - not BART); as was the the "Oakland West" station by the Oakland City Council, to appease the citizens of West Oakland, who expressed feeling left out.
Just so you all know where my info comes from, it is not researched, it is first hand. I was there at the time, assigned to work on BART just in time for BART to carry out this decision. I saw and extensively studied the original plan as I have outlined; as well as the new plan, and helped carry it out. Forty some odd years later, I am retired, but still remember my career well. Sometimes I still miss it; but for all practicality, I am mostly done - health reasons.
