Published Tuesday, July 30, 2002, in the San Jose Mercury News

VIPs get the first ride on BART to S.F. Airport
Transit link drops passengers near ticket counters

By Aaron Davis

A silver and blue BART train glided 30 feet over Highway 101 and into
San Francisco International Airport Monday morning, symbolically
capping a $1.5 billion construction project that could alleviate the
daily commutes of tens of thousands along the Peninsula by January.

"We're hoping it's open to everyone by Christmas," said Airport
Director John Martin, of the BART-to-airport line that's been decades
in the making amid repeated funding wars and construction setbacks.

BART's 8.7-mile foray into the Peninsula is 96 percent complete, with
only safety testing and final touches still needed on the train's four
new stops in San Mateo County -- South San Francisco, San Bruno,
Millbrae and the airport -- according to BART spokesman Mike Healy.

Like world-class train connections at airports in Rome and Paris, BART
will whisk passengers to within walking distance of ticket counters,
baggage checks and the airport's new "AirTrain" monorail that links
domestic terminals, parking garages and rental car agents.

However, the added convenience of BART at the airport won't come
without costs -- especially for airportgoers from the Peninsula and
South Bay accustomed to free shuttle service.

At its southern end in Millbrae, the new BART line will for the first
time bring BART and Caltrain tracks side by side, allowing Caltrain to
halt its complimentary shuttle bus service to the airport. Problem is,
those passengers will have to buy connecting BART tickets -- at an
estimated $3.60 each -- to complete the trek. In addition, a county
surcharge of up to $1, and a new $1.50 "premium" airport fee from
BART means using any of the new stops will cost passengers two or
three times what they might expect.

With the new taxes, for example, a standard $1.10 BART ticket would
cost more like $4.50 to $5 for travel between the airport and downtown
San Francisco, Healy said. Still, that's far better than the current
$30 to $35 cab fare, or $15 to $20 shuttle bus fare between downtown
and the airport, BART officials noted.

Caltrain spokeswoman Jayme Maltbie said San Mateo County, which is not
represented on the BART board and does not pay regular BART taxes,
must tack on a surcharge at the new stops to pay for maintenance and
operation of the stops. Meanwhile, BART must add an airport fee to
help pay for its $184 million share of the new line.

"We're concerned, honestly," said Margaret Okuzumi, executive
director of the BayRail Alliance, which promotes rail expansion along
the Peninsula. "Connecting BART with airports and with the Caltrain
system is great, but if it means an extra $3 or $4 for what is now
free, we question what the ridership will be. How much more economical
will it be -- especially for commuters -- to travel these routes every
day?"

BART officials say they hope many of the airport's 30,000 employees
will soon begin taking BART to work. The transit agency predicts that
by next year, 21,000 people will use the Millbrae station each day,
many to hop between BART and Caltrain. In all, BART predicts 70,000
passengers will use the new line each day by 2010.

"It will have a profound effect on the quality of life in the Bay
Area," Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, said Monday after he and other
VIPs rode the first train into the airport. "This line makes the
airport accessible to the whole Bay Area in a safe, economical way
that leaves behind the problems of parking and traffic."

Still, bringing the BART-to-San Francisco Airport train to life will
mean growing pains later this year, Caltrain's Maltbie
warned. "There's a systemic domino effect involved. A major number --
if not all -- of our trains will change schedule," she said. "From a
minimum of two minutes, up to an unknown quantity, Caltrain schedules
will shift to accommodate" BART connections in Millbrae.


Contact Aaron Davis at acdavis@... or (650) 688-7590.