BART Budget Includes New Seats, Elevator Repairs

BART directors are being given a $1.36 billion budget proposal for next fiscal year that includes $35 million in funds for improvement projects.

The directors will discuss the spending plan at their regular board meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. Thursday at the BART board room in the Kaiser Center, 344 20th St., in Oakland.

The directors are being asked to approve the budget in concept. A final budget must be approved by the end of the current fiscal year on June 30.

The $1.36 billion proposal is slightly higher than anticipated because of unexpected growth in ridership and sales tax revenue.

BART managers want to use $35 million of the extra money for capital projects. They are recommending $24 million be set aside until a state budget is approved and BART officials know how much money will be coming from Sacramento.

The remaining $11 million would be spent on "high priority initiatives." Among them is $4 million for elevator rehabiliation, $1.8 million for seat replacement, $300,000 for elevator and escalator maintenance and $200,000 for rail noise abatement.

BART officials said the seat replacement and noise abatement projects are "stop gap measures" until the transit system gets a new fleet of cars, starting in 2018.

Another project not included in the $11 million is $1.2 million for a pilot program to extend BART service for an extra hour on Friday evenings while starting train service one hour later on Saturday mornings.

The BART board will be asked to approve that project later this year.