Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART

Latest Episodes:

Exploring the potential of Mobility as a Service to transform your commute Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

Mobility as a Service or MaaS is one of the hottest topics in public transportation. While the subject may be new for some, there's little question it impacts you every time you get on a BART train and its reach has potential to go even beyond that. Chris Filippi is your host for this episode of "Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART" and he's joined by BART's Director of Technology, Angie West, and Tim Moore, BART's Manager of Web Services. Both are here to talk about MaaS and its far-reaching impacts. Read the transcript: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2023/news20230426

Resourceful and determined mechanics keep 50-year-old train cars moving Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

This edition of "Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART" features John Allen, who is a Transit Vehicle Mechanic at BART’s Hayward Maintenance Complex. John is BART's answer to MacGyver. In his time at BART, he's become an expert at keeping some of the oldest trains in the entire fleet in operation. We'll learn how he and his fellow mechanics use creativity, reverse engineering, and anything they can lay their hands on the Internet to keep these trains moving. Read the transcript: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2022/news20221028

An inside look at BART’s complex scheduling dance Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

Changes coming in September will revolutionize BART’s schedule by adding a layer of consistency in the timing of trains across all 7 days of the week that will be unlike anything BART riders have experienced in the last 50 years. The latest edition of BART’s podcast series “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART” explores what the schedule change means for you and takes an inside look at everything you’ve ever wanted to know about how the schedule is made. BART’s Manager of Scheduling and Planning John FitzGibbon explains how new software has transformed what used to be the transit equivalent of sausage making into a coordinated symphony that has the prospect to save valuable time for thousands of riders. Read the transcript here: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2022/news20220901-0

Four female leaders take center stage as BART celebrates Women's History Month Mar 25, 2022

Show notes

March is Women’s History Month so on this edition of “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART” we’re profiling four of the female leaders of the agency. We’ll hear their stories of growing up, hear about the trajectories of their careers, their triumphs, challenges, how they define good leadership, and more. Read the transcript here: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2022/news20220325

The future is now for BART’s renewable power initiatives Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

BART has set an ambitious goal to get at least half of its power from renewable sources by 2025 but the Bay Area likely won’t have to wait that long. On the latest edition of our podcast series, “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART” you’ll hear from BART Energy Manager Paul Bostrom who is spearheading the District’s clean power efforts. BART is well known for its impact on the Bay Area environment by taking thousands of cars off the roadways. The District is already greenhouse gas emission free. But now the focus is on increasing BART’s reliance on wind, solar, and hydroelectric power sources. Bostrom talks about BART’s progress and his recent visit to the Sky River Wind Farm, one of the District’s newest sources of energy. Innovative projects like the Sky River Wind Farm are expected to help BART increase its reliance on renewable energy from 5% to as much as 50% over the next year. Read the transcript: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2021/news20211221

A new era begins for escalators at BART Aug 31, 2021

Show notes

The first of 41 rebuilt escalators at downtown San Francisco BART stations is now open to the public at Powell Street Station. BART is making its largest investment in escalators in decades with a generational project that will have a direct impact on the everyday experience of thousands of riders. The latest edition of our podcast series “Hidden Tracks Stories from BART” features Mark Dana who is the manager of the Market Street Escalators Renovation Project. The new escalators are built especially for the challenges they'll face at BART and are a key part of the plan to revitalize the entrances to some of BART's busiest stations. Read the transcript here: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2021/news20210831-0

A trailblazing woman who brought inclusion and reform to BART calls it a career Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

There are few people who can claim a career path like the one followed by Tamar Allen. Over a span that stretches across four decades Allen has worn many hats ranging from police officer to Assistant General Manager. Allen has played a critical role in some of the largest projects in BART’s history including the $3.5 billion Measure RR rebuilding program and the procurement of the Fleet of the Future. But Allen’s legacy will be largely defined by the systemic change and reforms she brought to the district. Those efforts helped to usher in a spirt of inclusion and respect at BART that opened the doors of opportunity for many current employees. Read the transcript here: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2021/news20210729

Transit Worker Appreciation Day marks a time of transition at BART Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

BART’s podcast series “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART” is back just in time for national Transit Worker Appreciation Day. In our latest episode we’ll hear from John O’Connor who is one of the 287 employees participating in BART’s District Retirement Incentive Program as the agency cuts costs amid financial challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. O’Connor is a transportation supervisor who has spent a quarter century at BART and is probably best known for saving the life of a man who fell into the tracks at the Coliseum Station after a Raiders game by pulling him back to the platform just as an oncoming train was arriving. O’Connor talks about his difficult decision to retire, his fond memories at BART, and the future of the agency as some of its most experienced employees depart. Read the transcript here: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2021/news20210317

Meet the woman helping to lead an innovation revolution at BART Jan 17, 2020

Show notes

From new platform signs to making the most out of millions of pieces of data, BART is going through an innovation revolution that’ll have a big impact on the rider experience. On the latest edition of “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART” we’ll go into the lab to meet Wendy Wheeler who is BART’s Manager of Computer Systems Engineering. Wheeler is one of BART’s leading innovators and she’s pushing for some major changes. That’s especially true when it comes to BART’s digital platform signs. Upgrades have already been made to make it easier to tell if the next train is part of the Fleet of the Future but that’s just the beginning. Take a listen to learn about the technological advancements in the pipeline for BART riders. Read the transcript here: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2020/news20200117

Explore the history of the BART map Jul 12, 2019

Show notes

There are few images in the Bay Area that are more iconic than the BART system map. Millions of people see the maps throughout the system every year and regular riders can probably create a fairly accurate version of it from memory. On this edition of our podcast series “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART,” we're diving into the history of the BART map. There have only been a few versions of the BART map in the entire history of the system dating back to the start of service in 1972. Anytime there's been a suggestion for changes it has sparked a heated debate. Our guest on this episode is Bart Wright, a professional designer and mapping expert who has been heavily involved in designing the BART map over the last two decades. Read the podcast transcript here: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2019/news20190712-1

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