San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit District will receive a $544.6 million loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau to purchase 775 new passenger railcars.
The railcars are part of a $2.2 billion upgrade and expansion for the BART system. Part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the upgrades will improve safety, reliability, and access for all passengers, officials said.
“Congratulations to BART for implementing the ‘fleet of the future’ that its loyal riders throughout the Bay Area can rely on for the coming decades,” Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg said. “This investment is a game-changer for the community. It will improve riders’ daily commute and contribute to a more efficient, sustainable, and equitable transportation system.”
The new railcars feature improvements like LED screens for improved customer information, digital cameras to enhance security, and three doors for entry and exit compared to the previous two. By financing the cost of the rail cars with a low-interest loan from the DOT, BART will be able to use other capital funds to invest in a new Police Department Headquarters.
“BART has set the standard for transit providers by quickly delivering an entirely new fleet of modern rail cars for its riders versus a typical replacement project that can take decades to complete,” Build America Bureau Executive Director Morteza Farajian said. “Utilizing TIFIA and embracing innovative financing enables them to save millions of dollars in the long-term, redeploy some of their funds for other priority projects, and deliver an efficient system-wide upgrade with the modern features and performance upgrades their communities need.”