Concord BART Riders Say Trains Are Much More Crowded With New Schedule
CONCORD (KPIX 5) -- BART thought it could put an end to jam packed rush hour trains by changing up its schedule. But some riders who use the Concord station say the changes are not an improvement.
"It's taking what is already a rough commute and making it a lot rougher for the folks at Concord," said Matt Malone, a BART commuter.
Social media is packed with complaints about crowded service.
"It lost four trains during the morning commute that it used to get," said BART spokesperson Alicia Trost. "But what we gain from turning the trains at Pleasant Hill, impacts the entire system."
While BART ridership is exploding to more than 430,000 trips a day, there are still only 669 cars.
"There just isn't enough train cars to go around," Trost said.
BART is making trains longer, and running them more often in some areas.
"Downtown Oakland is a major housing market now. A lot of people live here and get on BART at Oakland," Trost said.
Now they get a seat. But places like Concord that once had plenty of room, are now sardine cans.
"People who get on at Concord are not happy that they have more crowding on the platform, and we understand that. But what we are trying to do is run as efficiently as possible," Trost said.
Malone said, "You're stuck with the standing room only on a crowded BART train and you are crowded from Concord, so that's a long ride for people who are going all the way to Montgomery and San Francisco in general."
