BART marriage was a long time coming

Way back in 1960-61, when engineers and planners representing the embryonic Bay Area Rapid Transit District urged this county to become an integral part of the projected new rail system, our Board of Supervisors decided against joining an ambitious funding proposal.

There were several reasons for the board’s decision. The main stated objection was worrisome cost. Those who recall those days agree that the prospect of higher taxes that could escalate over time, combined with a new bureaucracy, was a political deal-breaker.

Furthermore, the Peninsula already had (and still has) a handy, long-standing rail line running right through it to San Francisco. Owned and operated by the then Southern Pacific Railroad Company, the freight/passenger route was already doing much the same job as BART would. Caltrain uses that same, old SP right-of-way.

There is also some lingering speculation that merchants and their backers here in the early 1960’s, including the ownership of the young Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo, were opposed to a second rail setup that would funnel shoppers into the heart of downtown San Francisco’s primary retail district and its array of enticing shopping options.

In any event, San Mateo County (and Marin County as well) declined BART’s original invitation. But, as of last week, this county has finally relented — agreeing to permit voters to weigh in on a fresh tax, assuming all legal requirements are met to get it on a ballot. The announced target for an election is November 2026.

THE BART LINK TO SFO: BART operates in the northern portion of San Mateo County today on what amounts to a double-spur line serving SFO via a station located within the sprawling airport’s international terminal.

That direct rail line to SFO itself was not always seen as a priority. Access to the airport, at first, was projected to be a tram that connected both BART and Caltrain to the airport.

One of the most vocal proponents of a BART station within SFO was former State Sen. Quentin Kopp (he turned 97 on Monday). He and another strong supporter, the late Mike Nevin, a former San Mateo County supervisor and mayor of Daly City, were successful in getting that depot added to the BART expansion project.

The county currently houses five large BART stations that extend south from Daly City and Colma, through San Bruno and South San Francisco and ending at Millbrae (which also serves Caltrain and the SamTrans bus system) and then SFO.

The county has a financial arrangement with BART to account for local ridership. It was an agreement hammered out over several years of sometimes contentious negotiations. BART-to-SFO opened for business in 2003.

The Millbrae depot is also planned to be an important stop (the only one on the Peninsula) for an ambitious high-speed rail operation that is supposed to one day link San Francisco/Silicon Valley with Los Angeles/Anaheim.

HSR would utilize Caltrain’s electrified rail line for its West Bay operations when, or if, the HSR system, which is plagued by serious financial issues and other significant roadblocks, is introduced here at some point in the distant future.

CULTURE CONSULTANTS: Recent college graduates who have majored in subject areas of dubious actual use in U.S. society may want to muse about a pair of job titles that defy even a hint of practicality: “Culture Curator” and “Cultural Transformation Consultant.” Frankly, these two labels could mean just about anything you want them to. They are flexible, vague and utterly amorphous. Employers, take note.

WE DID NOT KNOW THAT: A traffic safety outfit recently posted an online railroad caution for an apparently clueless public. It warned that, “When there’s a red flashing light and a gate is down, a train is coming.” Who knew?