Source: BART

On five non-consecutive weekends

BART’s next major track improvement project will focus on a portion of the Yellow Line. On five non-consecutive weekends in April, May, and June workers will replace an interlocking between Rockridge and Orinda stations. Interlockings allow BART to safely move trains from line to line and are an essential part of the system. Free buses will replace train service between Rockridge and Orinda stations on all five weekends.

The weekend dates for this project are April 1-2, April 15-16, May 13-14, May 27-29 (Memorial Day weekend), and June 10-11. Riders can expect delays of 30 minutes in the work area on shutdown weekends.

Yellow Line trains will run every 30 minutes on shutdown weekends. On each night of the weekend shutdowns the last scheduled departure from Antioch to Orinda that normally leaves at 11:44pm will be cancelled. Riders traveling westbound from Antioch must catch the earlier train at 11:14pm each night.

The equipment being replaced is decades old and has outlived its design life. Riders will enjoy a smoother, safer, more reliable, and quieter ride once the projects are complete. The Yellow Line is the busiest in the BART system.

This upcoming work is part of BART’s overall effort to improve the safety and reliability of the 131-mile, 50 station system. There are now more rebuilding projects happening across BART than at any point in its 50-year history. You can learn more about the progress of this work by reading the 2022 Measure RR Annual Report published by the independent Measure RR Bond Oversight Committee.

You can keep up with the latest updates for trackway repair projects that impact service by going to our Alerts and Advisories page. BART’s Trip Planner has been improved to show the full customer journey including bus bridges.

Learn more about the work happening between Rockridge and Orinda stations on our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page and Fact Sheet for the project.

By Leeann Loroño, Manager of Customer Service and Marketing, Tri Delta Transit

Transit Driver Appreciation Day is Saturday, March 18 and Tri Delta Transit, County Connection, and WestCAT are celebrating in a special way– by going FARE FREE for the day. No payment will be required on all three agencies buses for fixed route and paratransit. Additionally, Tri Delta Transit’s ride-hailing service, Tri MyRide, will not require any payment for the day either.

Transit Driver Appreciation Day started in 2009 in Seattle as a blog about appreciating bus drivers. By 2014 the name was changed to cover the diverse transportation available throughout the United States. The day is set aside to thank and appreciate transit drivers for the great contributions they make to the community.

“The contribution drivers make has never been realized more than over the past three years of the pandemic. Transit operators performed a critical and essential service during this time by continuing to provide public transportation,” said Tri Delta Transit CEO, Rashidi Barnes. “Through these unprecedented times, our drivers showed continued courage, patience and perseverance.”

Transit Driver Appreciation Day, also known as Transit Operator Appreciation Day, continues to be a notable day for those who value public transportation. Through COVID-19 and risking possible exposure to the virus, transit operators continue to show up, adapting to ever changing regulations and working with unpredictable changes in ridership numbers as well as adapting to new schedules. Plus, national driver shortages add new responsibilities to cover shifts, perform extra cleaning and sanitizing of vehicle, all to ensure our transit system can keep running.

“There’s been a lot of unknowns in the past few years in public transit operations,” acknowledged Bill Churchill, General Manager of County Connection. “There can be a lot of multifaceted work a transit driver has to perform, including, thoroughly checking their vehicle before every route starts to ensure the safety of the riders, navigating traffic and accidents, learning new technology, and remembering customer service duties,” Churchill added, “We’re so proud that, despite any setbacks, we’ve maintained a high on-time performance rate—a testament to the dedication and hard work of our drivers.”

Rob Thompson, General Manager of WestCAT shared a similar sentiment of transit drivers, stating, “Our drivers truly are the front line for our agencies, their commitment and hard work are invaluable in providing public transit to our communities.”

Drivers are dedicated and hardworking because they drive as a service to the community. “We hope by going fare free, riders can focus on the driver and their rider experience, and visa-versa, instead of focusing on fares,” says Tri Delta Transit Board Chair Anissa Williams. “For Transit Driver Appreciation Day, agencies hope everyone takes a moment to thank their transit driver when riding the bus and posts positive messages on the social media pages of the system you ride so that the drivers can see them.” The transit agencies were also happy to offer free fares, as a day of fare free riding is also nice for passengers and helps to bring attention to this annual day of recognition.

To learn more about these transit agencies, visit TriDeltaTransit.com, CountyConnection.com and Westcat.org.

The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) operates the Amtrak San Joaquins passenger rail line and through bus service which serves Antioch, Martinez and Richmond in Contra Costa County. Each year, SJJPA must develop and approve an updated Business Plan as required by SJJPA’s Interagency Transfer Agreement (ITA) with the State. The annual Business Plan is required to be submitted to the Secretary of CalSTA in draft form by April 1 of each year, and in final form by June 15 of each year to allow Amtrak time to finalize operating cost estimates.

As specified in AB 1779, the Business Plan shall include a report on the historical performance of the San Joaquins Service, an operating plan including proposed service enhancements to increase ridership, short-term and long-term capital improvement programs, funding requirements for the upcoming fiscal year, and an action plan with specific performance goals and objectives. The Business Plan shall document service improvements (rail and thruway/connecting bus) to provide the planned level of service, inclusion of operating plans to serve peak period work trips, and consideration of other service expansions and enhancements.

2023 SJJPA Business Plan

The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority has released its 2023 Draft SJJPA Business Plan Update. Public comments must be submitted to Dan Leavitt at dan@sjjpa.com no later than Wednesday, March 15, 2023. DRAFT-2023-SJJPA-Business-Plan-Update_Public-Review-Draft.pdf

DRAFT-2023-SJJPA-Business-Plan-Update_Track-Change-Version_Public-Review-Draft.pdf

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

By Harlo Pippenger, Consultant, San Francisco Bay Ferry

San Francisco Bay Ferry is proud to sponsor the 6th Annual Black Joy Parade in Oakland, a hyper-positive celebration of the Black experience and community during Black History Month. Visit their booth at the festival to learn more about getting around the Bay Area and California by ferry.

San Francisco Bay Ferry offers daily service connecting San Francisco to Oakland’s Jack London Square, a short distance from the Black Joy Parade and Festival.

Black Joy Parade. Photo from 2020 event

WHAT: The Black Joy Parade is an annual event featuring a festival and procession that brings together the community to highlight Black joy past, present, and future. The parade includes live music, art, vendors of all kinds, food, games, sponsor activations, dance, and more.

WHO: Black Joy Parade, sponsored by San Francisco Bay Ferry

WHEN: Sunday, February 26, 2023. Parade starts at 12:30pm, festival starts at 12pm.

WHERE: Downtown Oakland, CA. The parade begins at 14th and Franklin Streets in downtown Oakland. Festival entrance is at 19th and Franklin Streets.

Don’t drop the ball on safety, savings or convenience

By John Goodwin, MTC

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and Bay Area transit agencies encourage residents and visitors planning a night on the town to celebrate the new year this weekend to:

• Travel by bus, train or ferry. Several Bay Area transit agencies — including BART —will extend their usual operating hours Saturday night and early Sunday morning to accommodate New Year’s Eve revelers.
• Avoid long lines at the station by adding a Clipper card to your phone’s digital wallet ahead of time. No app fee is required, and customers can instantly load cash value with their Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. For those who already have Clipper, make sure you have your round-trip fare loaded before boarding.
• Go to clippercard.com and visit Clipper’s Apple Pay or Google Pay pages for more information, including step-by-step instructions on how to add a new Clipper card to your iPhone or Android system phone running Android 5 or later.

Clipper will waive the standard $3 new-card fee for customers who choose Clipper on their mobile phone. The $3 fee will be charged to customers who opt for a traditional plastic card. MTC reminds travelers riding on BART that each rider age 5 or older needs their own Clipper card to pay the BART fare.

MTC is the transportation planning, funding and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. MTC operates the Clipper system on behalf of the region’s transit agencies.

The John A. Nejedly Bridge in Antioch. Photo from BATA website.

Free crossings for eligible veterans begin Jan. 1, penalty-waiver program coming

Dec. 27, 2022 – The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) and the Golden Gate Bridge District today announced two new bridge toll assistance programs that will benefit customers from lower-income households as well as eligible military veterans, beginning in 2023.

By July 1, 2023, BATA and the Golden Gate Bridge District will institute a policy for toll bridge customers whose household income is no more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level (approximately $55,000 for a family of four) to receive a waiver of any penalties assessed for late or missed payments of toll invoices and toll evasion notices incurred for toll bridge crossings between March 20, 2020 and Jan. 1, 2023. The waiver applies to the Golden Gate Bridge and to the state-owned Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael, San Francisco-Oakland Bay and San Mateo-Hayward bridges. The waiver will not apply to Express Lanes.

The setting sun reflects off of the Carquinez Bridge’s towers. Photo: MTC

The Low-Income COVID Waiver program — created by Assembly Bill 2594, which was authored by San Francisco Assembly member Phil Ting and enacted earlier this year — will allow qualifying motorists to request from FasTrak^® a waiver of outstanding bridge toll violation penalties. Waiver recipients will be required to pay tolls and any fees charged by the Department of Motor Vehicles for vehicle registration holds due to the non-payment of penalties.

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Photo: MTC

Another new state law — AB 2949, authored by Assembly member Alex Lee of San Jose — goes into effect Jan. 1, 2023, granting eligible veterans of the U.S. armed forces free tolls on California toll bridges. These include the Golden Gate Bridge as well as the state-owned Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael, San Francisco-Oakland Bay and San Mateo-Hayward bridges. The free-passage benefit does not apply to Express Lanes.

To be eligible for free travel across California toll bridges, vehicles registered to military veterans must have a license plate with one of the following designations: Congressional Medal of Honor, Disabled Veteran, Legion of Valor, Pearl Harbor Survivor, Ex-Prisoner of War, or Purple Heart.

Golden Gate Bridge from Crissy Field. By Noah Berger

Eligible veterans do not currently need to have a FasTrak electronic toll payment account to qualify for free passage, although a FasTrak-enrollment requirement will be instituted in the future. To avoid being charged a toll, veterans who already are FasTrak customers must place their FasTrak tag in a Mylar bag when traveling through bridge toll plazas. Customers may request a bag by logging into their FasTrak account, clicking ‘Vehicles and Tags’, and selecting ‘Request Toll Tag Supplies.’ Veterans also may request a Mylar bag by calling the FasTrak customer service center at 877-BAY-TOLL (877-229-8655). These bags are free of charge.

BATA administers all toll revenues from the San Francisco Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District owns and operates the Golden Gate Bridge.

Former Tri Delta Transit CEO Jeanne Krieg and new CEO Rashidi Barnes. Photos: Tri Delta Transit

By Leeann Loroño, Manager of Customer Service and Marketing, Tri Delta Transit

(Note: Apologies for the delay in posting this information. The Herald publisher was sick during the week this press release was issued)

After an extensive nationwide search, the Board of Directors of the Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority, aka Tri Delta Transit, unanimously selected Rashidi Barnes as Tri Delta Transit’s new CEO. He assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer on September 7, 2022, replacing long-time CEO Jeanne Krieg who is retiring in February after 32 years at the agency.

Barnes started his transit career twenty years ago as the Western Sales Manager for Transit Marketing Group, a leader in marketing and sales for transit product manufacturers. From there he became the Director of Procurement for Foothill Transit where he was responsible for insuring contract compliance and procurement of materials/supplies and professional, architectural and engineering services. He also served as Foothill Transit’s Disadvantaged Enterprise Liaison Officer during his tenure.  His next five and a half years was spent with Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection) where he served as Senior Manager of Transportation, Senior Manager of Innovation and Shared Mobility, and then Director of Innovation and Shared Mobility. Projects that he helped to deliver included the initial Clipper System implementation for CCCTA, introducing on-demand transportation service, shepherding bus on shoulder legislation and congestion mitigation options, working with the regions local utility provider to help launch the agency’s first electric bus. During his other roles at CCCTA, Mr. Barnes oversaw the daily operations of 160+ bus operators, 12 supervisors and 1 transit manager. Daily as an operations team, their focus was on providing efficient service. This was accomplished through a dedication to strong customer service, innovative approaches in planning, traffic mitigation, and performance management of employees.

Most recently, Mr. Barnes has been working for First Transit as the Director of Mobility as a Service, a national position where he worked with various transit agencies, TNC’s, payment solution companies and micro mobility providers to deliver innovative mobility solutions. Through the introduction of MaaS mobile applications, data analytics and focus on improving the customers journeys Mr. Barnes believes that transit agencies will be able re-solidify its place in the daily transportation decisions that people make.

Mr. Barnes brings a variety of experience in roles that are part of Tri Delta Transit’s service.  In addition, he brings proven leadership, innovative thought, decision making skills, contract administration, as well as, in-depth industry knowledge.  In 2015, Mr. Barnes was listed by Mass Transit Magazine as one of the Top 40 Under 40 to watch and follow.

“We are greatly saddened by the retirement of Jeanne Krieg, who has been a strong leader for the last 32 years,” Board Chair Anissa Williams stated. “We are extremely fortunate to be bringing Rashidi Barnes onboard, who will no doubt continue Jeanne Krieg’s strong leadership and direction, while forging his own legacy.”

Krieg assumed the title of CEO Transitional Officer, serving in the position until she retires officially in February after a long and distinguished career.

Krieg Honored on Industry’s Wall of Excellence

In April, this year Krieg was honored by the California Association for Coordinated Transportation (CalACT) in Newport Beach at the CalACT spring conference. She was awarded a spot on the CalACT Wall of Excellence which recognizes individuals who have had a long and distinguished career in public transportation and have made outstanding contributions to CalACT and the transportation industry.

“Under the leadership of CEO Jeanne Krieg, Tri Delta Transit is a very forward thinking and innovative agency,” said then Board Chair Ken Gray. “Tri Delta Transit has been first adaptors of electric and hydrogen technology, use of various app technology, and in the forefront of employee practices to retain employees and create an optimal work environment.”

CalACT is a statewide, non-profit organization that represents the interests of small, rural and specialized transportation providers. CalACT, who have been in existence since 1984, promotes: striving for professional excellence in the field of transportation; that mobility is essential to the freedom and quality of life for everyone; and that agencies can create solutions by working together. CalACT acts as advocates for the industry, provides resources, sponsors conferences that promote idea and knowledge sharing, and implements programs such as bus procurement cooperative.

“I was surprised and humbled by this recognition from my industry,” Krieg said. “All of the employees and board members at Tri Delta Transit are a part of this award: their support, dedication, and hard work are what makes our agency successful.”

ABOUT TRI DELTA TRANSIT

Tri Delta Transit provides over two million trips each year to a population of over 315,000 residents in the 225 square miles of Eastern Contra Costa County. They currently operate 15 local bus routes Monday – Friday, five local bus routes on weekends, door-to-door bus service for senior citizens and people with disabilities, and on-demand rideshare services. To learn more, visit TriDeltaTransit.com.

Source: Link21

To transform passenger rail network in 21-county Nor Cal Megaregion

Link21 is a long-range transportation program sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) to transform the passenger rail network serving the 21-county Northern California Megaregion, which includes the greater San Francisco Bay Area, the Monterey Bay area, the Sacramento area, and the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

Phase 1 of Link21 is currently underway. The public is invited to attend one of several in-person and virtual events this fall to engage with the Link21 team on this critical long-term planning investment in a new train crossing of the Bay and other improvements. Public input on potential rail improvement concepts is critical to the success of the Link21 Program to create a connected, equitable network of train service that cares for the people, environment, and quality of life for generations to come.

Source: Link21

New Transbay Rail Connection

Link21 is planning a new transbay passenger rail connection between Oakland and San Francisco. Travelers will be able to ride comfortably between the Sacramento Area and downtown San Francisco, the Northern San Joaquin Valley, the Peninsula, and the South Bay. Regional Rail riders with destinations across the Bay may be able to take a direct rail connection without transferring to a different service.

Watch experts talk about the benefits of Link21 or read a report on how the new transbay rail crossing will be a game changer for Northern California. – See California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), California State Rail Plan, 2018 and MTC, Horizon, 2019

The Northern California Megaregion is one of the nation’s most dynamic economies with a wide range of geographic, industrial and cultural diversity. Link21 will create a faster, more connected train service.

“We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to design the kind of system that will make rail transit the mode of choice for trips throughout the Megaregion for everyone,” said Sadie Graham, BART’s Link21 Program Director. “We can’t do this alone and need the public to be part of the planning process at every step of this generational undertaking.”

Source: Link21

Three Community Meetings

Three virtual community meetings will be hosted in October to provide the public an opportunity to learn about Program concept development, including results of the service improvements survey, and how all of this information and public input will be used to support technical work and further developing and evaluating concepts. The first meeting will provide a Megaregional overview and benefits focus, while the other two will focus on specific locations.

• Megaregional Focus: Tuesday, October 18, 5:30–7 p.m.
• East Bay Focus: Wednesday, October 26, 5:30–7 p.m.
• San Francisco Focus: Wednesday, November 16, 5:30–7 p.m.

In addition, Link21 will be hosting three virtual office hours to give the public an opportunity to ask questions of the technical teams.­­­

• Wednesday, October 19: Noon–1 p.m.
• Monday, October 24: 5:30–6:30 p.m.
• Thursday, October 27: 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Register at Link21Program.org/events

Events will be in English with Spanish, and Cantonese translators available. To request American Sign Language and other accommodations, please email inquiries@Link21Program.org or call 855-905-Link (5465) between one and five days in advance of the meeting date.

Can’t Make an Event?

Link21 will also be in local communities to share information and engage with the public. Visit the website for more details. Recordings for all virtual events will also be posted on the website.