[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 25, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN RECOGNITION OF BART'S 30TH ANNIVERSARY

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                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 24, 2002

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the San 
Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, known as BART, as it 
celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. BART is the San Francisco 
Bay Area's premier mode of public transit and has carried nearly 2 
billion passengers quickly and efficiently since it opened in 1972.
  Established in 1957 by the California State Legislature to relieve 
the unbearable traffic congestion on Bay Area roads, the BART concept 
was popular with the public from the very beginning. BART service began 
on September 11, 1972, an event that signaled a renaissance in rail 
transit in the United States. It was the first new rail rapid transit 
system built in the U.S. in more than 60 years and the first fully 
automated transit system in the world. The American Public Works 
Association named BART one of the ``Top Ten Public Works Projects of 
the 20th Century,'' an honor it shares with the Golden Gate Bridge, the 
Panama Canal, and the Hoover Dam.
  The BART District includes the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa and 
San Francisco, with service to San Mateo County. On an average weekday, 
BART carries about 310,000 passengers. The system consists of 95 miles 
of double track and 39 stations. With nearly 3,500 employees throughout 
the system, a $420 million operating budget and $561 million capital 
budget, BART is an important part of the Bay Area's economy.
  BART continues to grow and thrive. Four new stations and 8.7 
additional miles of double track are set to open in early 2003 with 
service to the San Francisco International Airport and the Peninsula. 
BART will connect with Caltrain, a 77-mile commuter rail service, at 
the Millbrae station to create a 180-mile combined regional rail 
network. Continued regional transportation needs are spurring several 
BART extensions, now in the planning stages. These extensions would 
take BART to Warm Springs, to San Jose, to the Oakland International 
Airport, and possibly other heavily traveled corridors in the East Bay.
  Mr. Speaker, BART has consistently provided safe, fast, and reliable 
transportation to Bay Area residents and visitors. BART has served the 
San Francisco Bay Area well for 30 years, and we look forward to an 
even more extensive and more efficient rail system 30 years from now. I 
urge my colleagues to Join me in wishing BART a Happy 30th Birthday.

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