BART to OAK System Goes Live

Dignitaries and lawmakers throw up their arms in celebration of the grand opening of BART to OAK, a project years in the making.

Friendly Clipper card mascot Clip enjoys the view. BART to OAK passengers can use Clipper, the fare payment option run by MTC.

MTC Chair Amy Worth gives the trip a try.

The BART to OAK system is attached to the Coliseum BART station.

Passengers peek out the rear window during a test ride.

Visitors to the public event took home some goodies, and a few lucky people won airplane tickets in a raffle.

BART-themed balloons form an arc over the crowded celebration.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee: "This is an environmentally-friendly transit infrastructure project that needs to set the standards for the rest of the country."

The system puts OAK on par with SFO and other elite airports that have train-to-plane connections, said BART General Manager Grace Crunican.

Last week’s rain subsided just in time for the public preview of the brand-new BART to OAK link to Oakland International Airport. The event turned out droves of community members and dignitaries for a day packed with elated speeches, raffled goodies, live performances and the climactic test-ride on the new cars.

The train-to-plane service opened to the public the following day, Saturday, Nov. 22, providing relief for Thanksgiving travelers who no longer have to worry about traffic and timing. Instead, they can opt to be shuttled directly from the Coliseum BART station practically to the doors of the terminal in eight minutes. The four new driverless cars are quiet, lightweight and reminiscent of their BART contemporaries — just smaller and cable-run.

Longtime lawmakers and transportation officials in the audience recalled what a lengthy yet rewarding journey it was to get to the grand opening.

MTC Chair Amy Worth thanked voters for supporting transit, and recalled the trades workers who filled the MTC auditorium advocating for the project, which created countless jobs. “As an East Bay resident and a BART rider I know how much easier, how much more convenient and how much more reliable transportation will be from BART to the Oakland airport,” she said.

MTC contributed $179 million ($146.2 million in bridge toll funds plus $32.8 million in state bond funds) to the $484 million project, which was built in four years and opened on time.