Established in 1957 by the California State Legislature to relieve the unbearable traffic congestion on Bay Area roads, the BART concept was popular with the public from the very beginning. BART service began on September 11, 1972, an event that signaled a renaissance in rail transit in the United States. It was the first new rail rapid transit system built in the U.S. in more than 60 years and the first fully automated transit system in the world. The American Public Works Association named BART one of the "Top Ten Public Works Projects of the 20th Century," an honor it shares with the Golden Gate Bridge, the Panama Canal, and the Hoover Dam.
The BART District includes the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco, with service to San Mateo County. On an average weekday, BART carries about 310,000 passengers. The system consists of 95 miles of double track and 39 stations. With nearly 3,500 employees throughout the system, a $420 million operating budget and $561 million capital budget, BART is an important part of the Bay Area's economy.
BART continues to grow and thrive. Four new stations and 8.7 additional miles of double track are set to open in early 2003 with service to the San Francisco International Airport and the Peninsula. BART will connect with Caltrain, a 77-mile commuter rail service, at the Millbrae station to create a 180-mile combined regional rail network. Continued regional transportation needs are spurring several BART extensions, now in the planning stages. These extensions would take BART to Warm Springs, to San Jose, to the Oakland International Airport, and possibly other heavily traveled corridors in the East Bay.
Mr. Speaker, BART has consistently provided safe, fast, and reliable transportation
to Bay Area residents and visitors. BART has served the San Francisco Bay Area
well for 30 years, and we look forward to an even more extensive and more efficient
rail system 30 years from now. I urge my colleagues to join me in wishing BART
a Happy 30th Birthday. Thank you.