Fewer seats and more room for standing commuters are among the updates to the rail cars coming to BART.
After getting the approval of the California Public Utilities Commission, ten new rail cars are ready to be integrated into BART service in the Bay Area. "The new cars have three doors on each side for quicker passenger loading and unloading, modern signage and automated announcements," Michael Cabanatuan writes for the San Francisco Chronicle. The seats also feature new coverings.
"BART’s original timeline called for the first of hundreds of new cars to go into service in 2016, but delays caused by electrical problems pushed the start date into November 2017," Cabanatuan reports. There are over 600 cars in the BART system, and current plans call for that number to go up to 775 cars by 2020.
Read the full story: New BART rail cars could start service in time for Friday’s evening commute
San Francisco’s BART Awarded $545 Loan for Upgraded Rail Cars
The agency plans to modernize its fleet with more efficient rail cars equipped with new safety features.
BART approves 2027 budget with no cuts, banking on November ballot measure for new funding
The Bay Area transit agency hopes to move forward without service cuts or fare increases.
California Revives $750M Loan to Save Bay Area Transit
The state approved a $750 million loan as a stopgap measure to fund regional transit agencies until a 2026 ballot measure that could bring more permanent funding.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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