Missing link
By John Horgan
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 at 7:50 am in Uncategorized.
There has been little or no reaction whatsoever to the quiet elimination of a BART line from Millbrae to San Francisco International Airport. When the huge Millbrae “intermodal” station was opened several years ago, it was supposed to be something unique in the Far West: A convenient transfer point for two rail systems, BART and Caltrain (not to mention SamTrans buses), serving, in part, travelers utilizing SFO to the east. It all seemed quite grand at the time. But it never really panned out as originally envisioned. Instead, Millbrae BART trains going to and from the airport were barely used at all. The link turned out to be a money-loser right from the start. At one point, it was discovered that there was one passenger per BART car on that route. So, finally, it was terminated earlier this year. The tracks remain, but they are unused. Instead, if you are coming from the south on Caltrain and need to get to SFO, you must transfer to BART at Millbrae, ride north to San Bruno, wait for another BART train bound for the airport and transfer. That’s not what the planners had in mind years ago when the Millbrae station was contemplated.
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April 9th, 2008 at 6:57 am
FYI
If you traveling on Samtrans on El Camino with a connection to the Airport DO NOT think about getting off at San Bruno instead of Millbrae, here’s why
Fare:
San Bruno- SFO $4.05
Millbrae SFO $1.50
April 10th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Good point. It does pay to do one’s homework re public transportation in San Mateo County. However, to my knowledge, there is no direct bus or shuttle route from the Millbrae station over to SFO. That was cut out some time ago. If that is incorrect, let me know.
April 11th, 2008 at 10:18 am
When the extension first opened, there were three routes that used it… one route that went to and from Millbrae (skipping SFO), one route that went to and from SFO (and not continuing to Millbrae) and the almost riderless “ghost train” between Millbrae and SFO.
A few months later, BART killed off the “ghost train” and began a series of variations on the same theme… having some BART trains stop at both SFO and Millbrae. This was a real annoyance for people going to and from Millbrae, because the operator had to get out at SFO (the intermediate stop) and walk from one end of the train to the other, turning the stop there into a mini-layover.
After raising service frequencies to every 15 minutes to both SFO and Millbrae, BART finally dropped direct service between the two stations earlier this year. Passengers who want to go between SFO and Millbrae need to go up to San Bruno and change trains _WITHOUT_ going through the turnstiles at San Bruno. This is very important because, as Larry pointed out, the fare between San Bruno and SFO is $4.05, not $1.50.
Note that all fares to and within San Mateo County except the special Millbrae-SFO fare carry heavy surcharges… two surcharges for service to and from SFO. This reflects our county’s non-membership in BART… we have no sales tax component dedicated to BART and no representation on the BART board.
April 11th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
For some of us, SamTrans remains the best direct option to and from SFO from the south. It’s relatively inexpensive and reliable. The 292 line is especially helpful from south of the airport.
April 12th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
So is the SamTrans KX… the court settlement that keeps baggage off it between The City and SFO does not apply between SFO and San Mateo and points south.
April 13th, 2008 at 7:34 am
That is good to know. Thanks for the valuable info once again.