So that they could build that enormous parking garage.

It’s not all bad- there’s a good dim sum place diagonally across El Camino from the Millbrae station.

I guess the fundamental problem is that SFO isn’t in a place where the BART (or CalTrain, for that matter) can run by it continuously. It will just always have to be a branch line, and will just always therefore be less efficient.

If only they’d built the big CalTrain-BART interchange _NORTH_ of SFO instead of _SOUTH_. That would have worked a lot better, actually, because then SFO could be the end-of-the-line for BART. I wonder why they decided on Millbrae?

OTOH, the East Bay and even San Francisco is significantly better served to and from SFO and Millbrae.

I hope they don’t eighty-six the whole service, because it works out great for me. CalTrain from San Jose to Millbrae, then BART to the airport; there are more direct flights from SFO than from SJC (which is more an overgrown local airport than an actual international terminal.)

Yep, and since not all of the CalTrain runs stop at Millbrae, it often makes time sense to walk or take Muni between CalTrain and BART in SF.

As for the route, I don’t think it’s so much the length as it is the number of stops. Right now, getting to Civic Center from Milbrae for me is about the same time using either train (and a Muni bus connection from Caltrain). It’s too bad BART doesn’t have extra track to run express trains, though I guess that may cost a lot more than it is worth.

The point is that BART should have been capable of figuring out that the garages would go unused, and not built them in the first place. The argument that “eventually” they will get more use so it’s good that they were built is one I don’t buy – for most starting points and destinations by the time you drive to the BART station most people decide to just drive the whole way – given the circuitous route BART takes through Daly City which is 2x the travel time of a Caltrain Baby Bullet to downtown. But the garages are not convenient to the Caltrain tracks.

Regarding your thought about commuter parking- do you know if the peninsula stations (Milbrae and San Bruno in particular) fill up on most days? If so, I think you have a valid point; if not, then why not let BART get some extra revenue?

The answer is to use SFO long term parking if you are coming in on a late flight. Sorry, can’t feel sorry for ya as I can’t stomach the fact that BART has built these huge parking garages that are now serving not to service transit users, but instead as long term SFO parking.

Now that I have that out of my system – you might try having them take you to a private residence down the street from BART and walking a couple of blocks to the station. I’m guessing the Taxis don’t want to be a proxy shuttle from long term parking instead of getting longer hauls to SF, but I don’t think they can refuse a fare to a residence in San Bruno.

If you live in SF, take the KX to downtown and a cab home, then BART back to your car the next morning.

One thing tho (although I guess this is not new)- what is the best way from SFO to San Bruno BART if your plane is late and BART is closed for the night?

I ask because this just happened to me; the Taxi’s all refused to go to San Bruno BART (where I had parked the car) and told me to go upstairs, where I ended up paying $16 for a seat in a shuttle. There has to be a better way; who knows it?