BART adds service for World Series

With World Series hysteria hitting the Bay Area, BART officials are getting ready for record-setting crowds.

Ridership reached 462,242 yesterday — the fourth largest crowd in the authority’s history — as fans headed to AT&T Park to cheer on the Giants in their National League Championship win.

BART officials are expecting 400,000 to 500,000 people during the World Series. Those numbers have only been eclipsed by the 2012 and 2010 World Series victory parades, when ridership exceeded half a million people.

Allison said:

“Every other year it seems we’re taking people to the World Series, and we want to do it again this year.”

In preparation for the influx, the transportation agency will be adding one to two cars to BART trains and will be running the trains more frequently on game days, Allison said.

In particular, the agency will focus on the Pittsburg/Bay Point to San Francisco International line and the Dublin/Pleasanton to Daly City line. It’s not just the Giants franchise that benefits from the massive crowds, though.

Allison said BART cashes in on game days when more people ride the rails. More than two-thirds of BART’s operating budget comes from fare-paying passengers, Allison said, so increased ridership means more dollars to spend on cleaner stations and trains, refurbished cars and a future fleet.

Allison didn’t have exact figures for game-day revenues, however, and said that sometimes, when the crowds are large enough, the agency opens the entry gates to relieve congestion:

“There’s also more overtime costs. … In general, the big picture is when more people ride, it benefits our bottom line.”

Allison said the agency is hoping to repeat the past World Series wins this year:

“We’ll be rooting for the Giants.”

Bay City News

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