Restrooms at underground BART stations to reopen starting in February

Q

When will BART reopen its underground stations with bathrooms that have been closed now for 20 years?

It’s terrible to need to relieve myself, but be unable to find an open restroom when using BART to travel to San Francisco. — Roger, and so many

others needing relief

A

The first restrooms will be reopened in February at the 19th Street station in Oakland and the Powell Street station in San Francisco.

Those restrooms will be staffed with attendants for at least the first three months to promote safety and proper use.

Restrooms at 10 of BART’s underground stations have been closed since 9/11 because of safety concerns.

Now BART is moving forward with plans to reopen restrooms once plumbing, electrical, ventilation, access, and safety improvements are made and restrooms upgraded with improved ventilation systems.

BART hopes to reopen restrooms at the Lake Merritt and Montgomery Street stations before summer and in Downtown Berkeley and Embarcadero in 2024.

And there is much more that has improved.

Q

Gary, someone asked if any improvements have been made at stations.

The answer included a brief mention of one escalator.

We have been rolling out a number of improvements to welcome riders back to BART since the pandemic began, such as:

• Hired more cleaners to increase the frequency of platform, concourse and bathroom cleaning.

• Upgraded and improved lighting in many stations and parking garages, making them brighter and better lit for safety.

• Rolled out contactless parking payment through the BART app to make paying for parking (which we now have plenty of) easier.

• Rolled out pay-byphone features. You can now add Clipper to your phone’s digital wallet and use our phone at the fare gate.

You never have to wait in line at a ticket machine and you can add funds for immediate use.

• Deployed new safety ambassadors and more police officers to walk platforms to increase safety.

• Provided free masks at all station agent booths and free hand sanitizer at all stations.

• Added fare gates at many elevators to prevent fare evasion where the elevator provides access outside of the paid area.

— Alicia Trost,

BART

A

One of my favorites is the outdoor music series which brings music to BART stations.

Alicia adds, “Activating stations helps prevent crime and brings joy to the commute.”

Q

People get pretty hot and sweaty on the topics of driving, traffic and road conditions.

I appreciate your reliably measured, balanced and even kind approach to your readers.

Your responses are a spot of civility in our increasingly crabby world.

Many thanks. — Ann McClure, Castro Valley

A

And many thanks to you for your very kind words.