Contra Costa Times: BART to reduce off-peak service

[marmar]

BART to reduce off-peak service

By Denis Cuff
Contra Costa Times

Posted: 09/13/2009 02:01:36 PM PDT


BART today is doing away with the more frequent train service on weeknights and weekends that passengers waited 36 years to get.

Facing a recession-induced budget deficit, BART will roll back its maximum waiting time between trains from 15 minutes to 20 minutes during weekends and after 7 p.m. on weeknights.

The change ends a short-lived service upgrade instituted in January 2008, during more prosperous economic times, when the BART board decided to upgrade to 15-minute intervals to lure more commuters out of their cars.

BART's founders had planned on 15-minute off-peak intervals when the train system began running in 1972, but it took years to iron out technological and operational problems to run that often.

Not long after BART began the more frequent service, the economy tanked, cutting deeply into BART's sales tax revenues, state subsidies and fares. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.contracostatimes.com/top-stories/ci_13329343?nclick_check=1