Yellow Line (BART)
| Company type | Rapid transit service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | May 21, 1973 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco Bay Area , United States |
Area served | San Francisco Bay Area |
| Products | Rapid transit service |
| Website | www |
The Yellow Line is a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) service operating within the San Francisco Bay Area, connecting and (SFO). Certain morning trains and all runs after 9 pm continue beyond SFO to Millbrae station during periods when the Red Line is inactive. This line stops at 28 stations spanning across Antioch, Pittsburg, Bay Point, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Orinda, Oakland, San Francisco, Daly City, Colma, South San Francisco, San Bruno, and Millbrae. It holds the distinction of being BART's most heavily utilized route and uniquely operates additional weekday services between SFO and Pittsburg/Bay Point. At , it represents the system’s lengthiest corridor.
The Yellow Line is divided into two segments: the majority employs standard electric multiple unit trains shared with four other principal lines. However, the stretch from Antioch to just beyond Pittsburg/Bay Point station—known as eBART—utilizes diesel multiple units. Passengers transfer between these two train types via a dedicated cross-platform connection at a specialized platform located east of Pittsburg/Bay Point. Despite this operational division, the line is depicted as a continuous route on maps and station displays, indicating its final destination.
History
As the second among BART's five rapid transit routes to commence operations, the Yellow Line began service between and on May 21, 1973. Its extension to was achieved with the inauguration of the Transbay Tube on September 16, 1974. The stations , , and were introduced between 1995 and 1996.
Prior to 2015, rush hour schedules included trains that short-turned at Concord; these services started from during morning peak times and returned to 24th Street Mission in the evening. On April 1, 2015, BART activated the Central Contra Costa Crossover located south of Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre station, allowing trains to terminate there. Subsequently, on September 14, 2015, short-turn operations were limited to Pleasant Hill to boost service frequency. Reverse peak “Pleasant Hill Limited” trains bypassed select stations eastbound in mornings and westbound in evenings. The short-turn trains were extended back to Concord starting February 10, 2020. However, additional commute trains were discontinued on March 19, 2020 due to ridership declines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2016, electrical surges disabled several train cars north of North Concord/Martinez station. Service was suspended between North Concord and Pittsburg/Bay Point starting March 16 and replaced by a bus bridge. Limited train operations resumed on March 21 with full restoration by April 2.
SFO/Millbrae extension service
When the extension serving SFO and Millbrae launched on June 22, 2003, BART extended Yellow Line service to Millbrae but initially skipped the San Francisco International Airport station (SFO). On February 9, 2004, service was rerouted so Yellow Line trains served SFO instead of the Blue Line, with Millbrae service available outside weekday peak hours.
Since San Mateo County lies outside the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District boundaries, BART service there was funded by SamTrans. Due to lower-than-anticipated ridership on this extension causing financial losses for SamTrans, BART restricted southern service to only the Blue Line beyond Daly City starting September 12, 2005.
In February 2007, SamTrans transferred operational control and funding responsibility for the SFO/Millbrae extension to BART in exchange for increased fixed funding from SamTrans and other sources. By January 2008, full-time Yellow Line service was reinstated to SFO; later in September 2009 evening and weekend trains were extended further to Millbrae.
Beginning February 10, 2020, Yellow Line trains terminated exclusively at SFO throughout all hours while service between SFO and Millbrae was provided by the Purple Line. On weekends, Yellow and Purple Lines operated as a combined route to eliminate transfers at SFO; this weekend interlining expanded to Saturdays in March 2021. The Purple Line ceased independent operation on August 2, 2021; thereafter Yellow Line trains extended to Millbrae during evenings and Sundays when the Red Line was not running.
Starting January 13, 2025, a shuttle train service commenced between SFO and Millbrae from 9 pm until midnight due to installation work involving Communications Based Train Control near Millbrae. This shuttle is classified as part of the Yellow Line.
| Date | Service pattern |
|---|---|
| June 22, 2003 | Daly City–Millbrae |
| February 9, 2004 | Daly City–SFO (weekday peak hours) Daly City–SFO/Millbrae (all other times) |
| September 12, 2005 | none |
| January 1, 2008 | Daly City–SFO |
| September 14, 2009 | Daly City–SFO (weekdays) Daly City–SFO/Millbrae (evenings/weekends) |
| February 11, 2019 | Daly City–SFO (weekdays/Sundays) Daly City–SFO/Millbrae (nights/Saturdays) |
| February 11, 2020 | Daly City–SFO |
| August 2, 2021 | Daly City–SFO (weekdays/Saturdays) Daly City–SFO/Millbrae (evenings/Sundays) |
| February 14, 2022 | Daly City–SFO (until 9 pm) Daly City–SFO/Millbrae (after 9 pm) |
Antioch extension service
The BART extension to Antioch, often referred to as eBART (East Contra Costa BART Extension), operates as a diesel multiple unit (DMU) light rail branch within the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) network, serving the eastern region of Contra Costa County, California. This line stretches 8.6 miles, connecting the Pittsburg/Bay Point station with the Antioch station to the east.
Unlike the primary BART rapid transit system, the Yellow Line portion between Antioch and Pittsburg/Bay Point employs trains and tracks that are incompatible, which prevents direct train travel through this segment. Passengers switch trains via a cross platform interchange located at an auxiliary BART platform just east of Pittsburg/Bay Point; reaching this platform involves an intra-station transfer from the main station. Service for revenue passengers commenced on May 26, 2018.
Although the official BART system map does not differentiate this segment from the rest of the Yellow Line, station signage clearly indicates that a transfer is required. This distinction is not represented in public timetables or map brochures.
Stations
| Station | Jurisdiction | County | Opened | Other BART lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Bart | Pittsburg / Bay Point | Contra Costa | December 7, 1996 | Template:Ric |
| Template:Bart | Concord | December 16, 1995 | ||
| Template:Bart | May 21, 1973 | |||
| Template:Bart | Contra Costa Centre | |||
| Template:Bart | Walnut Creek | |||
| Template:Bart | Lafayette | |||
| Template:Bart | Orinda | |||
| Template:Bart | Oakland | Alameda | ||
| Template:Bart | September 11, 1972 | Template:Ric Template:Ric | ||
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| Template:Bart | September 16, 1974 | Template:Ric Template:Ric Template:Ric | ||
| Template:Bart | San Francisco | May 27, 1976 | ||
| Template:Bart | November 5, 1973 | |||
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