Traffic & Transit
Using Your Phone In BART Stations And Trains Might Get Easier
The agency's Board of Directors will weigh a proposal to bring Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and better cellphone coverage to BART within five years.
BAY AREA, CA — Cellphones and other wireless devices could work better on BART
trains and stations if the transit agency's Board of Directors approves a
"BART Digital Railway" proposal at its meeting Thursday.
The four-stage plan will bring new Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
infrastructure and improved cellphone coverage to the BART and San Francisco
Municipal Transportation Agency systems within five years, according to BART
officials.
The proposal calls for BART and the SFMTA to partner with
Mobilitie, the country's largest private wireless infrastructure company, to
add underground cell coverage to three Muni tunnels — Sunset, Twin Peaks and
the Central Subway — within three years of the project's start.
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The next phase would require Mobilitie to build new wireless
systems in all BART stations within four years.
The third phase of the proposal would extend wireless services
from the stations to BART's new "Fleet of the Future" train cars. The final
phase involves installing new commercial fiber optic cables along some BART
and Muni rights of way.
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All four projects are expected to bring in more than $243 million
over 20 years, with all capital and operating expenses being borne by
Mobilitie, according to BART officials.
"We must bring our technology up to date and expand broadband
coverage to better compete in the transportation market and provide
convenient, easy to use transit," BART General Manager Bob Powers said.
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