Bay Area Transit Tuesday Mash Up: Caltrain to the Game, BART Wrap Test, and…

A few quick news briefs about the Bay Area’s transit agencies—and how transit can also be fun.

Everybody knows the Caltrain station is right across from the ballpark, right?

Considering Caltrain’s 4th and King station is so close to the ballpark, you could, well, hit it with a baseball, the advantages for Peninsula Giants fans to taking the train vs. stressing out on the freeway are obvious. That’s especially true given Caltrain’s new, fast electric fleet. But just to leverage the rivalry between LA and San Francisco’s ball clubs a little bit more, Caltrain is rolling out its Giants-themed train for the upcoming games. From a Caltrain release:

The San Francisco Giants take on the Los Angeles Dodgers this week, and on Thursday, April 23, Caltrain will be running a Giants themed-train delivering fans to Oracle Park. The themed train will take place on the Northbound Local 121, departing Tamien Station at 9:52 a.m. and arriving at San Francisco Station at 11:16 a.m. for the 12:45 p.m. game.

Onboard, fans will find decorated train cars, fun giveaways and prizes and a festive attitude as fans get to the game as all true Giants fans should.

Remember also that the ballpark is served by several Muni lines, including the T Third and N Judah. And there are direct ferries.

Look out for BART’s cartoon car

Speaking of train decorations and decals, this week BART riders might spot something never seen before in the Bay Area: a bright blue train car covered in dancing BARTy mascots. More from BART:

The eye-catching car is expected to spark smiles, waves, and plenty of photos as it rolls into stations. But beyond its playful appearance, the train is part of an ongoing effort to explore new and creative revenue opportunities for BART. 

The BARTy design is being used to test wrapping Fleet of the Future cars in paid advertisements as a potential new revenue source as BART addresses a significant fiscal cliff. At the same time, BART continues to implement cost-cutting measures that have already reduced expenses by hundreds of millions of dollars.  

So that’s the serious side to this: BART previously sold train car wraps for its now-retired legacy fleet. This pilot is a way to test decal adhesion on the new fleet, which has a different exterior finish. If things work out okay though, this will be a new source of advertising revenue.

“Wrapping a train car is a detailed, hands-on process that requires precision and coordination with our maintenance schedules,” said Catherine Westphall, Manager of BART’s Advertising Franchise Program, in a statement. “This pilot helps us understand how the material performs on our Fleet of the Future cars and what it would take to scale this as a revenue program without impacting service.” 

VTA families celebrate Earth Day

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is hosting its annual “Bring Your Child to Work Day” to celebrate Earth Day. VTA employees’ children will take part in hands-on activities that highlight sustainability, environmental stewardship, and public transit. More from VTA:

Kids will explore how transit supports a cleaner future through activities like a bus wash demonstration focused on water conservation, a stormwater garden tour, and a guided nature walk. The day also includes a behind-the-scenes look at transit operations and interactive safety demonstrations with local law enforcement.

That will be Wednesday, April 22, and is open to VTA employees (and members of the press). Look for pictures in an upcoming post.