BART brings back 10-car trains for first time since pandemic

Amid rising ridership, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) began rolling out 10-car trains on some of the system's busiest lines Monday, for the first time since the pandemic.

According to agency officials, the 10-car trains are being added to the Red Line and Yellow Line. In addition, two morning trains on the Green Line will be extended from six to eight cars and one afternoon Blue Line train will be extended to eight cars.

The last time 10-car trains had been part of regular service was more than six years ago. Officials said the longer trains are to accommodate increasing ridership, particularly during peak commute hours.

Meanwhile, some shorter trains will run during non-peak hours and on the Orange Line.

"We haven't run 10-car trains since the pandemic, but I think it's important to keep in mind that our ridership, though it's increasing significantly, is not what it was back before the pandemic," said spokesperson Chris Filippi. "Before the pandemic, on a typical weekday, we would carry about 400,000 riders."

In June, BART reported multiple post-pandemic ridership records, crediting large events including the World Cup and San Francisco Pride. The agency said ridership last month was 18.6% higher than in June 2025.

The system is adding longer trains ahead of a planned schedule change set to take effect on Aug. 10. Officials said a change in how trains will travel through the Daly City station will lead to improvements extending to other parts of the system, including better spacing between trains, improved wait times involving transfers and less train congestion.

Additional details about the upcoming schedule change can be found on the BART website.