At what cost BART?

A cool $30 million paid for by an extra half-cent sales tax tacked on to most every purchase we make in San Mateo County. Was it worth it?

Some may say no, but ultimately it will be.

But there are some serious lessons to be learned in the battle between Bay Area Rapid Transit and the San Mateo County Transit District that officials hope will end with an agreement to allocate 2 percent of Measure A, a half-cent sales tax earmarked for transportation improvements passed in 2004 and expected to raise $1.5 billion over 25 years. On Thursday, with little fanfare and even less notice, the San Mateo County Transportation Authority voted to allow that small percentage to go toward the operation of the BART extension to San Francisco International Airport and Millbrae. Touted as a grand way to connect the Peninsula to the rest of the Bay Area through mass transit, the extension was essentially a way to get more people to the city from SFO and back. Then, the extension was to be self-sufficient and pay for its operation through the fare box. But officials blame the economic downturn and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 for the extreme drop in ridership. The numbers never were what was projected and those projections themselves had to be reconfigured to reflect the new economic reality. Even so, the two transit agencies were at odds over how much for which each was responsible.

SamTrans said it expected to subsidize operating costs at the San Bruno, Colma, Millbrae and SFO stations for approximately $6 million a year. The deficit for this year alone is $11.6 million.

In 2004, BART threatened to sue SamTrans for failing to pay $11 million in operating costs. SamTrans offered $8 million and after a few weeks the two agencies settled their differences but there was word the dispute has been bubbling in recent weeks. Officials on all sides are keeping quiet about the deal and what it could mean in settling the dispute, but with ridership on the rise, there is hope the $30 million will be enough to cover the operations for the short term.

That’s the short term that will be painful. The BART extension is not necessarily there to serve us. The majority of us on the Peninsula could use BART to get to San Francisco, but why would we if we can take Caltrain? There is the ability to go to the East Bay or to bring those residents here for jobs, but one of the prime goals of the extension was to spur redevelopment at the end of the Millbrae line.

That has yet to happen but there are multiple plans in the works and revitalization could spread into other areas of the city and even into the northern end of Burlingame. In addition, there is now the possibility BART may someday move further down the Peninsula or Caltrain could improve its service to the Millbrae station through electrification or obtaining higher speed trains that will muscle their way through our sleepy towns. It would connect us with the rest of the Bay Area through seamless and quick public transit. But there will be a cost.

It may seem too soon to begin thinking of what that future may bring. However, if we want to make sure we get a good deal and make sure it is done right, it is time we all snap to attention.