BART Board Approves Emergency Plan for 70% Service Cuts If Revenue Measure Fails

The BART Board of Directors voted 8-1 to adopt a two-phase emergency roadmap that would slash train service by up to 70%, raise fares 50%, eliminate nearly 1,200 jobs, and potentially shutter 15 stations — all contingent on whether voters approve a regional revenue measure this November. The same meeting that formalized the agency's most consequential budget action in its 54-year history also exposed the fragility of its current operations: a single failed network card at Lake Merritt knocked out transbay service for 45 minutes during the Thursday morning commute, and two encampment fires in February melted fiber optic cables and closed the Transbay Tube.

• BART board approves two-phase emergency service plan 8-1, authorizing staff to prepare for three-line service, 9 p.m. closures, up to 15 station closures, and nearly 1,200 job cuts if no new revenue materializes

• Lone dissenter says the plan lacks hope: Director Ames argues the board should present an intermediate scenario with reduced service and supplemental state funding, not just a doomsday roadmap

• Morning network failure strands transbay riders for 45 minutes, with directors reporting absent station agents, wrong signage, and inaudible train announcements

• Two encampment fires disrupt service in February, melting fiber optic cables and prompting BART to install K-rail barriers at West Oakland

• Governor signs $590M transit loan at BART facility, but full use depends on voters approving the ballot measure

• Tri Valley business leader warns station closures would hit $52 billion regional economy