Editing Bay Area Rapid Transit (section)

== Infrastructure ==
[[File:Walnut Creek station and aerial structure, August 2018.JPG|thumb|A typical concrete viaduct structure near Walnut Creek station]]
The entirety of the system runs in exclusive, grade-separated right-of-way. BART's [[rapid transit]] revenue routes cover about {{convert|131|mi}} with 50 stations. On the main lines, approximately {{convert|28|mi}} of lines run through underground sections with {{convert|32|mi}} on elevated tracks.<ref name="SystemFacts" />

The main system uses an unusual {{RailGauge|5ft6in|lk=on}} broad gauge<ref name="SystemFacts" /><ref name="bartgauge">{{Cite web |date=March 24, 2013 |title=Why does BART use wider, non-standard gauge rails? – BayRail Alliance |url=http://www.bayrailalliance.org/question/why-does-bart-use-wider-non-standard-guage-rails/ |access-date=June 28, 2019 |website=BayRail Alliance}}</ref> (mostly seen in India and Pakistan) and mostly [[ballastless track]]. Originally using flat-edge rail and [[Wheelset (rail transport)|wheelsets]] with cylindrical treads, in 2016 BART started switching to conical treads<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wheel-rail-seminars.com/archives/2016/rt-papers/RT%2006%20WRI%202016%20BART%20Final.pdf |first=Gregory |last=Shivy |title=BART Wheel Profile Change |date=May 2016}}</ref> to reduce the noise caused by flange/rail contact and loss of adhesion of one of the wheels on curves.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 2, 2016 |title=The Four-Year Fight to Make San Francisco's Subway Stop Screaming |url=https://www.wired.com/2016/09/three-year-fight-make-san-franciscos-subway-stop-screaming/ |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]}}</ref> [[List of railway electrification systems#Conductor rail systems (DC voltage)|1,000 volts DC]] is delivered to the trains over a [[third rail]].<ref name="BART cars" /> An [[automated guideway transit]] line and an additional station were opened in 2014, using [[Commercial off-the-shelf|off-the-shelf]] [[cable car (railway)|cable car]] technology developed by [[DCC Doppelmayr Cable Car]]: the [[Cable Liner]]. The section of the Antioch-SFO/Millbrae line east of the Pittsburg/Bay Point station, known as [[EBART]], runs on conventional unelectrified {{RailGauge|ussg|allk=on}} rail.

Schedules call for trains to operate at up to {{convert|70|mph|kph}}, but certain segments (in particular, the Transbay Tube) are designed for {{convert|80|mph|kph|abbr=on}} operation when making up delays.<ref name="SystemFacts">{{Cite web |title=BART System Facts |url=http://www.bart.gov/about/history/facts |access-date=April 8, 2021 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 24, 2006 |title=BART reduces trains speeds, station lighting, to help PG&E and state power grid |url=http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2006/news20060724) |access-date=September 26, 2015 |quote="BART doesn't typically run trains at their maximum speed of 80 mph except to help a train make up time." |archive-date=April 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430050552/https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2006/news20060724%29 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="OpsAnalysis">{{Cite web |date=June 2013 |title=BART Sustainable Communities Operations Analysis |url=http://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/BART%20SCOA%20Final%20Report%20June%202013.pdf |access-date=February 5, 2014 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |page=23 |quote=Certain sections of the BART system are designed for 80 mph operations, however the maximum operating speed BART currently uses today is 70 mph. It is unlikely that 80 mph operating speeds will be used again due to the increase in motor wear and propulsion failures at the higher rate. There are also higher impacts on track maintenance. In addition, the 80 mph segments tend to be short, and the higher speed benefits are limited as train speeds become inconsistent.}}</ref>

{{As of|2023|9}}, rapid transit trains are typically six cars long, except on the Yellow Line, which uses eight-car trains.<ref name="Train Size Change 2023" /> The minimum train length is four cars, and the maximum length is ten cars. A ten-car train is {{convert|710|ft|m}}, the longest of any metro system in the United States, and extending slightly beyond the {{convert|700|ft|m|-long|adj=mid}} platforms.<ref name="trainLength">{{Cite web |date=July 3, 2000 |title=BART Train length |url=https://groups.google.com/group/ba.transportation/browse_frm/thread/2b50a587214ace23/5be1c19d04ad4b06 |access-date=January 7, 2007 |publisher=Google Groups: ba.transportation}}</ref> Cars are {{convert|10.5|ft|m|1}} wide, the maximum gradient is four percent, and the [[minimum curve radius]] is {{convert|394|ft|m|0}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Paul Garbutt |title=World Metro Systems |publisher=Capital Transport |year=1997 |isbn=1-85414-191-0 |pages=130–131 |chapter=Facts and Figures}}</ref> The combination of unique [[loading gauge]]s and unusual rail technologies has complicated maintenance and increased cost of the system, as rolling stock requires custom wheelsets, brake systems, and power systems.{{r|bartgauge}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gafni |first=Matthias |date=March 25, 2016 |title=Has BART's cutting-edge 1972 technology design come back to haunt it? |work=San Jose Mercury News |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_29687067/has-barts-cutting-edge-1972-technology-design-come.html |access-date=March 28, 2016}}</ref>

Many of the original 1970s-era stations, especially the aerial stations, feature simple [[Brutalist architecture]], but newer stations are a mix of [[Neomodern]] and [[Postmodern architecture]]. The additional double-tracked {{Convert|4|mi|km|-long|adj=mid|spell=in}} upper deck of the [[Market Street subway]] and its four underground stations were built by BART for [[Muni Metro]].

=== Lines ===
{{anchor|lettered lines|A-Line|C-Line|K-Line|L-Line|M-Line|R-Line|S-Line|W-Line|Y-Line}}The routes run on track segments ("lines"), which are internally, but not commonly, known by letters.<ref name="SystemFacts" /><ref name="segments">{{Cite web |date=October 2012 |title=Rail Capacity Improvement Study for Heavy Rail Transit Operations |url=https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/FTA_Report_No._0035.pdf |publisher=Federal Transit Administration |page=52}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bay Area Rapid Transit |title=Geospatial Data |url=https://www.bart.gov/schedules/developers/geo |access-date=April 21, 2022}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Line
!class="unsortable"|Endpoints
!Opened
!class="unsortable"|Right of way
|-
! colspan=4 style="text-align: center;" | Heavy rail
|-
|'''A-Line'''
|[[Oakland Wye]] – [[Fremont station (BART)|Fremont]]
|September 11, 1972
|Former [[Western Pacific Railroad]] right-of-way ([[Union Pacific Railroad|UP]] [[Oakland Subdivision]]), tunnel near the Oakland Wye
|-
|'''C-Line'''
|[[Rockridge station|Rockridge]] – [[Pittsburg/Bay Point station|Pittsburg/Bay Point]]
|May 21, 1973 (to [[Concord station (BART)|Concord]])<br />December 16, 1995 (to [[North Concord/Martinez station|North Concord/Martinez]])<br />December 7, 1996 (to Pittsburg/Bay Point)
|[[California State Route 24|SR 24]] median, [[Berkeley Hills Tunnel]], former [[Sacramento Northern Railway]] right-of-way, [[California State Route 4|SR 4]] median
|-
|'''K-Line'''
|Oakland Wye – Rockridge
|September 11, 1972 (to [[MacArthur station (BART)|MacArthur]])<br />May 21, 1973 (to Rockridge)
|Tunnel under Broadway, SR 24 median
|-
|'''L-Line'''
|[[Bay Fair station|Bay Fair]] – [[Dublin/Pleasanton station|Dublin/Pleasanton]]
|May 10, 1997
|Median of [[Interstate 238|I-238]], median of [[Interstate 580 (California)|I-580]]
|-
|'''M-Line'''
|Oakland Wye – Daly City Yard (north of [[Colma station|Colma]])
|November 5, 1973 (Daly City – [[Montgomery Street station|Montgomery Street]])<br />September 16, 1974 (Montgomery Street – Oakland Wye)<br />December 9, 1988 (to Daly City Yard)
|Elevated above 5th and 7th streets, [[Transbay Tube]], [[Market Street subway|tunnel under Market Street]] and Mission Street, former [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] right-of-way ([[Ocean View Branch]])
|-
|'''R-Line'''
|MacArthur – [[Richmond station (California)|Richmond]]
|January 29, 1973
|Elevated above Martin Luther King Jr. Way, tunnel under Adeline St and Shattuck Ave, former [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Santa Fe]] right-of-way
|-
|'''S-Line'''
|Fremont – [[Berryessa/North San José station|Berryessa/North San José]]
|March 25, 2017 (to [[Warm Springs/South Fremont station|Warm Springs/South Fremont]])<br />June 13, 2020 (to Berryessa/North San José)<ref name="Glover 2020" />
|Tunnel under [[Fremont Central Park]], former Western Pacific Railroad right-of-way (San Jose Branch)
|-
|{{nowrap|'''W-Line'''}}
|Daly City Yard – [[Millbrae station|Millbrae]]
|February 24, 1996 (to Colma)<br />June 22, 2003 (to Millbrae)
|Former Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way ([[Ocean View Branch]]), shared [[Caltrain]] right-of-way
|-
|'''Y-Line'''
|W-Line – [[San Francisco International Airport station|San Francisco International Airport]]
|June 22, 2003
|Elevated wye into [[San Francisco International Airport]]
|-
! colspan=4 style="text-align: center;" | Light rail
|-
|'''E-Line'''
|Pittsburg/Bay Point – [[Antioch station (BART)|Antioch]]
|May 26, 2018
|SR 4 median
|-
! colspan="4" |Automated guideway transit (AGT)
|-
|'''H-Line'''
|Coliseum – [[Oakland International Airport station|Oakland International Airport]]
|November 22, 2014
|Mostly elevated above Hegenberger Road, depressed section below Doolittle Drive
|}

<!--===Network map===
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| frame-lat    = 37.80
| frame-long   = -122.27
| frame-width  = 750
| frame-height = 470
| zoom         = 9
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=== Automation ===
BART was one of the first U.S. rail transit systems of any size to be substantially automated. Routing and dispatching of trains, and adjustments for schedule recovery are controlled by a combination of computer and human supervision at BART's Operations Control Center (OCC) and headquarters at the [[Kaiser Center]] in Downtown Oakland. Station-to-station train movement, including speed control and maintenance of separation between successive trains, is entirely automatic under normal operation, the operator's routine responsibilities being issuing announcements, closing the doors after station stops, and monitoring the track ahead for hazards. In unusual circumstances the operator controls the train manually at reduced speed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orenstein |first=Natalie |date=March 19, 2019 |title='Troubleshooting on the fly': Riding in the cab with a BART operator |url=https://www.berkeleyside.org/2019/03/19/troubleshooting-on-the-fly-riding-in-the-cab-with-a-bart-operator |access-date=September 15, 2022 |website=Berkeleyside |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Parking ===
Many BART stations offer parking; however, underpricing causes station parking lots to overflow in the morning.<ref>{{Cite news |title=BART parking overview |publisher=BART |url=http://bart.gov/guide/parking/overview.asp |url-status=dead |access-date=January 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060922182009/http://www.bart.gov/guide/parking/overview.asp |archive-date=September 22, 2006}}</ref> Pervasive congestion and underpricing forces some to drive to distant stations in search of parking.<ref name="Richards2015October">{{Cite news |last=Richards |first=Gary |date=October 7, 2015 |title=Opening of BART Warm Springs station pushed back to next year |work=San Jose Mercury News |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/mr-roadshow/ci_28929100/roadshow-opening-bart-warm-springs-station-pushed-back |access-date=October 9, 2015 |quote=parking after 10 a.m. at any BART station is difficult. Here are the southern Alameda County stations where you might get lucky and find parking in this order: South Hayward, Hayward, Union City, West Dublin/Pleasanton and Castro Valley.... BART is testing the feasibility of posting real-time information that would let a driver check whether spots are available at a particular station. Right now, the best it can do is to provide estimates on its website for when parking lots will be full.}}</ref> BART operates Parking Lots at 36 stations and offers parking passes for designated spots at many stations.<ref>{{cite web |title=BART parking |url=https://www.bart.gov/guide/parking |website=BART Parking guide |access-date=2023-02-03}}</ref>

BART hosts [[car sharing]] locations at many stations, a program introduced by [[City CarShare]]. Riders can transfer from BART and complete their journeys by car. BART offers long-term airport parking through a third-party vendor<ref name="BartAiportParking">{{Cite web |title=Long-Term Parking for Travelers |url=http://www.bart.gov/guide/parking/longterm.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060922190045/http://www.bart.gov/guide/parking/longTerm.asp |archive-date=September 22, 2006 |access-date=January 7, 2007 |publisher=BART}}</ref> at most East Bay stations. Travelers must make an online reservation in advance and pay the daily fee of $5 before they can leave their cars at the BART parking lot.

Parking at stations in Santa Clara County (Milpitas and Berryessa/North San José) is managed by [[Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority]] rather than BART.

=== Accessibility ===
All BART trains have dedicated spaces for wheelchair users and every station has accessible elevators.<ref name="Accessibility">{{Cite web |title=Wheelchair or Limited Mobility |url=https://www.bart.gov/guide/accessibility/mobility |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511054034/https://www.bart.gov/guide/accessibility/mobility |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref> Estimated train arrival times and service announcements are both displayed on platform-level screens and announced audibly over the [[public address system]]. Station platforms are equipped with [[tactile paving]] to aid those with visual impairments, and [[Braille]]/tactile signs are present throughout stations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Low Vision or Blind {{!}} bart.gov |url=https://www.bart.gov/guide/accessibility/vision |access-date=May 10, 2021 |website=www.bart.gov}}</ref>

==== Platform elevators ====
[[File:Elevator faregate on Embarcadero BART platform.jpg|thumb|The elevator faregate on the [[Embarcadero station]] BART platform, installed in December 2021]]
At some stations, the elevator to the platform (which is inside the [[paid area]]) is accessed from an unpaid area of the station. To enter the BART system at one of these stations, passengers using the elevator must first pass through a faregate into the paid area and then exit back through the swing gate adjacent to the station agent booth before taking the elevator to the platform. To exit the system from one of these stations, passengers must do the reverse: take the elevator from the platform to the concourse level, enter the paid area through the swing gate, and then process their ticket at a faregate to exit the paid area once again. Station agents may be able to assist upon request.<ref name="Accessibility" /> The configuration of these stations enables [[fare evasion]] and causes confusion for passengers.<ref name="Moench 2020">{{Cite news |last=Moench |first=Mallory |date=December 7, 2020 |title=BART's new gate stopped some fare cheats this year. How will the agency pay for more? |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/BART-s-new-gate-stopped-some-fare-cheats-this-15777567.php |access-date=May 10, 2021 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

As of 2020, eighteen stations{{efn|[[12th Street Oakland City Center station|12th Street Oakland City Center]], [[19th Street Oakland station|19th Street Oakland]], [[Balboa Park station|Balboa Park]], [[Bay Fair station|Bay Fair]], [[Civic Center/UN Plaza station|Civic Center]], [[Oakland Coliseum station|Coliseum]], [[Concord station (BART)|Concord]], [[Downtown Berkeley station|Downtown Berkeley]], [[El Cerrito del Norte station|El Cerrito del Norte]], [[El Cerrito Plaza station|El Cerrito Plaza]], [[Embarcadero station|Embarcadero]], [[Montgomery station (BART)|Montgomery]], [[North Berkeley station|North Berkeley]], [[Orinda station|Orinda]], [[Powell Street station|Powell]], [[Rockridge station|Rockridge]], [[South Hayward station|South Hayward]], and [[Walnut Creek station|Walnut Creek]]}} had a platform elevator outside of the paid area.<ref name="New fare gates 2020">{{Cite web |date=December 3, 2020 |title=Next Generation Fare Gates Update |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/New%20Fare%20Gate%20Board%20Presentation%20Board%2012032020.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123075641/https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/New%20Fare%20Gate%20Board%20Presentation%20Board%2012032020.pdf |archive-date=January 23, 2021 |access-date=May 12, 2021 |website=[[BART]]}}</ref> Of these, three stations{{efn|[[Oakland Coliseum station|Coliseum]], [[North Berkeley station|North Berkeley]], and [[Walnut Creek station|Walnut Creek]]}} had ticket processing machines near the elevators that allowed elevator users to avoid having to enter, then exit, then re-enter the paid area; however, these did nothing to deter fare evasion.<ref name="Accessibility" /> BART has begun to correct this issue at stations either by expanding the paid area on the concourse level or by installing a single accessible faregate in front of the elevator doors.<ref name="Moench 2020" /><ref name="New fare gates 2020" /> By December 2021, the number of stations with elevators outside the paid area had been reduced to eight.{{efn|[[19th Street Oakland station|19th Street Oakland]], [[Civic Center/UN Plaza station|Civic Center]], [[El Cerrito Plaza station|El Cerrito Plaza]], [[North Berkeley station|North Berkeley]], [[Orinda station|Orinda]], [[Powell Street station|Powell]], [[Rockridge station|Rockridge]], and [[Walnut Creek station|Walnut Creek]]}}<ref name="New fare gates 2022" /> Five of these stations{{efn|[[Civic Center/UN Plaza station|Civic Center]], [[El Cerrito Plaza station|El Cerrito Plaza]], [[North Berkeley station|North Berkeley]], [[Orinda station|Orinda]], and [[Walnut Creek station|Walnut Creek]]}} had elevator faregates installed by January 2023, while the paid area on the concourse level at {{bart|19th Street Oakland}} was expanded to include a new elevator as part of a larger renovation.<ref name="New fare gates 2022">{{Cite press release |title=New Embarcadero platform fare gate speeds up transfer to Muni, improves accessibility, reduces fare evasion |date=February 9, 2022 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2022/news20220209-0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2016 |title=GO Uptown Gateway to Oakland Uptown: 2016 TIGER Grant Project Summary |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2018-03-15%20Website%20Handout.pdf |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 24, 2022 |title=Next Generation Fare Gates Update |url=https://bart.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=10663025&GUID=B7D3ADE7-4576-4824-B81F-05A906613649 |access-date=March 21, 2022}}</ref> As of March 2023, only [[Orinda station|Orinda]] and [[Powell Street station|Powell Street]] stations have a platform elevator outside the paid area.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=New Fare Gates & Station Hardening {{!}} bart.gov |url=https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=www.bart.gov}}</ref> New elevator faregates are expected to be installed at these two remaining stations by April 2023.<ref name=":0" />

=== Cell phone and Wi-Fi ===
In 2004, BART became the first transit system in the United States to offer [[cell phone|cellular telephone]] communication to passengers of all major wireless carriers on its trains underground.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Michael Cabanatuan |date=November 19, 2005 |title=Underground, but not unconnected – BART offers wireless service to riders |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/19/MNGF2FR6C11.DTL |access-date=January 22, 2007}}</ref> Service was made available for customers of [[Verizon Wireless]], [[Sprint Nextel|Sprint/Nextel]], [[AT&T Mobility]], and [[T-Mobile US|T-Mobile]] in and between the four San Francisco Market Street stations from [[Civic Center (BART station)|Civic Center]] to [[Embarcadero (BART station)|Embarcadero]]. In 2009, service was expanded to include the Transbay Tube, thus providing continuous cellular coverage between [[West Oakland (BART station)|West Oakland]] and [[Balboa Park (BART station)|Balboa Park]].<ref name="wireless_12_21_2009">{{Cite web|title=BART expands wireless access to Transbay Tube &#124; bart.gov|url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2009/news20091221b|access-date=November 23, 2022|website=www.bart.gov}}</ref> In 2010, service was expanded to all underground stations in Oakland (19th Street, 12th Street/Oakland City Center, and Lake Merritt).<ref name="wireless_08_27_2010">{{Cite web|title=BART expands wireless network to underground stations in downtown Oakland &#124; bart.gov|url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2010/news20100827|access-date=November 23, 2022|website=www.bart.gov}}</ref>

In 2007, BART ran a [[beta test]] of [[Wi-Fi]] Internet access for travelers. It initially included the four San Francisco downtown stations: Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, and Civic Center. It included above ground testing to trains at BART's Hayward Test Track. The testing and deployment were extended into the underground interconnecting tubes between the four downtown stations and further. The successful demonstration provided for a ten-year contract with WiFi Rail, Inc. for the services throughout the BART right of way.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=WiFi Rail Inc. to provide wifi access on BART system |date=February 2009 |publisher=BART |url=http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2009/news20090202.aspx |access-date=February 2, 2009}}</ref> In 2008, the Wi-Fi service was expanded to include the [[Transbay Tube]].<ref>{{Cite press release |title=WiFi Rail Tube Access |date=June 2009 |publisher=KRON 4 |url=http://www.wifirail.net/clips/kron4.com_061809.mov |access-date=June 18, 2009}}</ref> BART terminated the relationship with Wi-Fi Rail in December 2014, citing that WiFi Rail had not submitted an adequate financial or technical plan for completing the network throughout the BART system.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 30, 2014 |title=BART scraps Wi-Fi contract, prompting threats of legal action |newspaper=Sfgate |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/BART-cuts-Wi-Fi-service-prompting-threats-of-5984611.php |access-date=July 6, 2016 |last1=Williams |first1=By Kale }}</ref>

In 2011, during the [[#Charles Hill|Charles Hill killing and aftermath]] BART disabled cell phone service to hamper demonstrators.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Elinson |first=Zusha |date=August 11, 2011|title=BART Cuts Cell Service to Foil Protest |work=The Bay Citizen |url=http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/bart-cut-cell-service-foil-protest/ |url-status=dead |access-date=September 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817042150/http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/bart-cut-cell-service-foil-protest/ |archive-date=August 17, 2011}}</ref> The ensuing controversy drew widespread coverage<ref name="reuters">{{Cite news |date=March 2, 2012 |title=US regulators seek input on cell phone interruptions |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/fcc-wireless-disruptions-idUSL2E8E2E6M20120303 |access-date=January 2, 2016}}</ref> that raised legal questions about free speech rights of protesters and the federal telecommunications laws that relate to passengers.<ref name="law journal">{{Cite web |last=Rachel Lackert |date=May 1, 2012 |title=BART Cell Phone Service Shutdown: Time for a Virtual Forum? |url=http://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1626&context=fclj |access-date=January 2, 2016 |quote=this unilateral action raised significant legal questions as to whether this was authorized under federal telecommunications law relating to the right of the passengers to access the telephone network and the legality of a shutdown by a quasi-governmental authority such as BART. Additionally, BART's actions raised issues concerning the First Amendment rights of the passengers and protesters to freedom of speech and assembly.}}</ref> In response, BART released an official policy on cutting off cell phone service.<ref name="electronic frontier foundation">{{Cite news |date=August 12, 2012 |title=BART's Cell Phone Shutdown, One Year Later |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/08/barts-cell-phone-shutdown-one-year-later |access-date=January 2, 2016}}</ref>