BART Board Approves 8-1 Contingency Plan to Cut Service, Raise Fares

The BART Board of Directors voted 8–1 on Feb. 26 to adopt an Alternative Service Plan that would sharply curtail trains, shutter stations and raise fares if long-term revenue is not secured. Under the plan, BART says it could close up to 15 of the system’s roughly 50 stations and target more than a 70% cumulative reduction in service hours in a deeper second phase.

BART officials say the action responds to a projected $376 million operating shortfall for the next fiscal year and a structural deficit the agency pegs at $350 million to $400 million driven in part by ridership that remains about 50% below pre-pandemic levels. Alicia Trost, BART chief communications officer, warned, “We have a structural deficit of $350 million to $400 million, so this plan is very serious,” and noted the plan would include layoffs that the agency estimates at 1,200 employees.

The board approved a two-phase timetable. Initial service reductions are slated to begin in January 2027 if no additional funding arrives, with service pared back to three main lines, Yellow, Blue and Orange, and limited peak-direction runs on the Red and Green lines. BART materials and reporting specify trains would run every 30 minutes on those lines and the system would end service at 9 p.m. daily, an initial step that represents roughly a 63% reduction in service hours. If deeper cuts pass safety and legal review, BART says further reductions would take effect in June or July 2027; the agency’s materials specifically cite July 2027 for more extensive station and track-mile closures.

The plan would also change rider costs and parking. BART’s presentation projects cumulative fare and parking increases of up to 50%, estimating an average fare of $7.26; other coverage noted at least a 30% fare increase as a lower-bound scenario. Riders can expect longer waits, fewer trains after work and early evening service ending at 9 p.m., changes that would alter commutes and nighttime travel across San Francisco County and the broader BART service area.

Staffing and non-service savings figure prominently in the budget strategy. BART’s press materials set a target of more than $130 million in annual savings from non-service cuts and call for a 40% reduction in system support services, deferral of retiree health contributions and deferral of most remaining capital allocations. The agency says the plan would lay off 1,200 employees; reporting elsewhere used figures ranging from about 1,100 to “more than 1,000,” but BART’s packet gives the 1,200 number. As Director Robert Raburn put it, “There are no alternatives other than draconian alternatives,” adding that the plan “to cut over 1,100 jobs … to increase fares. That's a gut punch.”

The contingency plan is tied directly to a regional revenue measure. BART and local reporting describe a proposed 14-year “Connect Bay Area” sales tax on the November ballot that would raise sales taxes by 0.5% in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and by 1% in San Francisco. Board President Janice Li warned the agency “cannot afford to wait for the outcome of the November election before taking action.” BART will also draw on reserves and a share of an approved state bailout loan to delay some station closures by roughly six months; the Chronicle reported that the $590 million state loan is contingent on passage of the ballot measure.

The plan does not name specific stations; the board will decide which line segments or stations to close if the contingency moves forward. With an 8–1 vote now on record and a November sales-tax question looming, the agency has moved from contingency planning to a timetable that could restructure BART service across San Francisco County and the rest of the system as early as January 2027 and more deeply by summer 2027 if funding is not secured.