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San Francisco International Airport
A train at the station in February 2020
General information
Location	Garage G / International Terminal San Francisco International Airport San Mateo County, California
Coordinates	37°36′59″N 122°23′28″W / 37.6164°N 122.3910°W / 37.6164; -122.3910
Line(s)	BART Y-Line
Platforms	2 island platforms
Tracks	3
Connections	AirTrain SamTrans: 292, 397,ECR
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	BART: SFIA
History
Opened	June 22, 2003 (2003-06-22)
Passengers
2024	4,091 (weekday average)
Services
Preceding station Bay Area Rapid Transit Following station MillbraeTerminus Red Line San Brunotoward Richmond Terminus Yellow Line San Brunotoward Antioch via Pittsburg/​Bay Point Millbraeafter 9pmTerminus AirTrain (At Garage G/BART station) West Field Road towards Long-Term Parking   Red Line   International Terminal G One-way operation Grand Hyatt One-way operation   Blue Line   International Terminal G Next clockwise
Former services Preceding station Bay Area Rapid Transit Following station MillbraeTerminus Purple Line2003–2004; 2019–2021 Terminus Dublin/​Pleasanton–SFO/​Millbrae line2005–2008 San Brunotoward Dublin/​Pleasanton Terminus Dublin/​Pleasanton–​SFO line2003–2004
Location

San Francisco International Airport station (often abbreviated SFO or SFIA) is a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) terminal station located adjacent to Garage G inside the San Francisco International Airport. The elevated station is a transfer point to the AirTrain people mover system at Garage G/BART station.

The station opened for AirTrain service in February 2003, with BART service beginning that June. After several service changes between 2003 and 2022, the station is served by the Yellow Line at all operating hours and the Red Line until 9 pm.

Station layout

San Francisco International Airport station is an elevated structure about 100 feet (30 m) wide and 900 feet (270 m) long. It is located on the northwest side of the group of terminals; the west half of the station is adjacent to Garage G, while its east end connects to the north end of the International Terminal (near the G gates side). A stub-end terminal station, the BART level has three tracks served by two island platforms. An elevated wye and crossovers to the west of the station allow trains arriving from the north or south to use any track. The middle track was not used in regular service until around 2020; its platform edges were blocked off.

The AirTrain station, located above the west half of the BART station, has a single island platform serving the two AirTrain guideways, plus a side platform serving the inner loop. A footbridge above the AirTrain level provides access from the parking garage. BART faregates are located in the AirTrain station, and at the east end of the station where it connects to the departures level of the International Terminal.

Wind Portal

Wind Portal is a 2003 artwork by Sebastopol artist Ned Kahn on the surface of the cylindrical opening in the floor separating the BART station from AirTrain. Passengers transferring between the two rail services ride escalators or walk on stairs through the opening, which measures 10+1⁄3 feet (3.1 m) high with a 16-foot (4.9 m) radius. The artwork consists of 200,000 stainless steel disks, each 1 inch (25 mm) in diameter and individually hung so they respond to air currents induced by train traffic. The work, along with others on the extension, was funded by a $1.5 million federal grant and other sources. John King, urban art critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, praised it, saying it was "esmerizing ... an ever-changing silver shimmer ... indefinable movements reacting to distant winds as well as the whoosh of trains. The experience is hard to predict; there's a sense of anticipation."

History

A BART extension to San Francisco International Airport was first proposed in 1970 - before the initial system even opened. In 1972, a "trace" — a concrete shell with space for a station — was built into the North Terminal (now Terminal 3) during its construction; it was blocked from use by later construction. Planning began in the early 1990s; after a great deal of political controversy over where the airport station would be located, construction began in 1997. The BART extension was constructed in concert with the International Terminal (which expanded the airport's capacity) and the AirTrain system (which connects the BART station to the other airport terminals). The San Francisco Airport Commission built the station for BART at a cost of $200 million, with BART paying $2.5 million in rent each year to use the station.

The AirTrain system opened on February 24, 2003, with BART service to SFIA station beginning on June 22, 2003. The station was initially served by the Blue Line, plus the Purple Line, a shuttle service to Caltrain connections at Millbrae station. The shuttle service was discontinued on February 9, 2004. The Yellow Line began serving SFIA station (as well as Millbrae on nights and weekends), with northbound trips on the Red Line also serving SFIA station at peak hours. Peak-hour Richmond line service began serving the station in both directions on September 13, 2004.

Within the first two weeks of service to SFIA station, ridership was 50% below the projected 6,500 passenger exits per day. BART service to stations in San Mateo County is funded by SamTrans, rather than county tax revenues. As ridership stayed below expectations, SamTrans had to pay a larger-than-planned operating subsidy to BART. On September 12, 2005, in order to lower these subsidies, BART reduced service so that only the Blue Line served SFIA and Millbrae stations. SamTrans and BART reached an agreement in February 2007 in which SamTrans would transfer control and financial responsibility of the SFO/Millbrae extension to BART, in return for BART receiving additional fixed funding from SamTrans and other sources.

On January 1, 2008, BART increased service to the San Mateo stations. SFIA became the terminus of the Yellow Line at all times, and direct service between SFIA and Millbrae was discontinued. On September 14, 2009, the line was extended to Millbrae on nights and weekends, restoring direct service at those times. During its first decade of service, ridership remained well below initial projections. Ridership has continued to increase, reaching a peak of 6,788 weekday exits in fiscal year 2016.

On February 11, 2019, Purple Line shuttle service resumed on weekdays and Sundays, with cross-platform connections to the Yellow Line at SFIA station. The Yellow Line continued to serve both SFIA and Millbrae on weeknights and Saturdays. On February 10, 2020, the Purple Line began running during all BART operating hours, with the Yellow Line terminating only at SFIA. In October 2019, the BART board approved development of technology for a proposed pilot program, under which BART and other public transit riders would have access to priority security screening lines at the airport.

SFO–Millbrae service ended on August 2, 2021; it was replaced by an extension of the Red Line to SFIA weekdays and Saturdays, and an extension of the Yellow Line to Millbrae evenings and Sundays. Richmond service began operating on Sundays effective February 14, 2022, providing 4 trains per hour at SFIA until 9 pm every day. In April 2022, the middle track was reopened, allowing the north platform to be used for all trains. The middle track is used for trains to Millbrae, while the north track is used for trains to San Bruno and points north. Installation of second-generation fare gates at the station took place from October 11–26, 2024.

References

1. "SamTrans bus route map" (Map). SamTrans. June 18, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
2. ^ "Monthly Ridership Reports". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. June 2024.
3. ^ "30 million trips and counting: BART celebrates 10th anniversary of SFO extension". Bay Area Rapid Transit District. June 21, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
4. "Wind Portal". SFO Museum. San Francisco International Airport.
5. Kahn, Ned (2003). "Wind Portal". Ned Kahn Studios.
6. Jones, Carolyn (October 25, 2002). "Putting the art in BART / Mosaics, murals and steel cows brighten up Oakland, Berkeley stations". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
7. King, John (June 22, 2003). "Surprises await riders at new BART stations". San Francisco Chronicle.
8. ^ Freeman, Dennis; Wei, Wenbin; Gosling, Geoffrey D. (May 2012). "Case Study Report: San Francisco International Airport BART Extension" (PDF). Research Project 2503: Collaborative Funding to Facilitate Airport Ground Access. Mineta Transportation Institute.
9. ^ Healy, Michael C. (2016). BART: The Dramatic History of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System. Heyday. pp. 293–310. ISBN 9781597143707.
10. "Airport Commission Wants Surcharge Waived for SFO Workers". San Francisco International Airport. August 9, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2024. BART pays SFO $2.5 million per year for rent on the BART station in the International Terminal, plus an additional $700,000 for custodial and electrical support services. However, SFO built the BART station at a cost of more than $200 million and pays $14.8 million annually for debt service on bonds sold to construct the station.
11. Cabanatuan, Michael (February 26, 2003). "SFO's people mover up and running unofficially / Trains carry people around terminals, to rental cars". San Francisco Chronicle.
12. ^ "BART Chronology January 1947 – March 2009" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2013.
13. Cabanatuan, Michael (April 18, 2003). "BART to link to SFO June 22 / After many delays, latest date is firm, transit officials say". San Francisco Chronicle.
14. Cabanatuan, Michael (February 7, 2004). "BART changing schedule so more go to SFO / Peninsula ridership below expectations, needs a boost". San Francisco Chronicle.
15. Matier, Phillip; Ross, Andrew (July 9, 2003). "BART line to SFO -- expectations way up, ridership way down". San Francisco Chronicle.
16. Murphy, Dave (August 11, 2005). "PENINSULA / BART to airport to be cut / Weekend trains to be kept on Peninsula". San Francisco Chronicle.
17. "BART-SFO Settlement Agreement and Release of Claims" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Commission. February 14, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2009.
18. Gordon, Rachel (December 9, 2007). "BART to raise fares, increase train frequency starting Jan. 1". San Francisco Chronicle.
19. "Off-peak service reductions began Monday, September 14th" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. September 15, 2009.
20. Jonathan Ian Mason (2008). Global Visions and Urban Infrastructure: Analyzing the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Extension to San Francisco Airport (SFO). pp. 278–282. ISBN 978-0-549-83255-3.
21. "February 11 schedule change impacts weekdays and Sundays" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. January 15, 2019.
22. "Weekday Schedule as of February 10, 2020" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District.
23. "BART moves ahead with potential public transit to SFO incentive" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. October 24, 2019.
24. "BART returns to near-regular service starting 8/2/21" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. July 26, 2021.
25. "BART schedule change begins 2/14/22, extending service to midnight on Sundays" (Press release). Bay Area Rapid Transit District. January 10, 2022.
26. "SFO BART station now easier to use for locals and visitors" (Press release). Bay Area Rapid Transit District. April 8, 2022.
27. "Installation work to begin October 11 for Next Generation Fare Gates at San Francisco International Airport Station" (Press release). Bay Area Rapid Transit District. October 4, 2024.
28. "New Fare Gates & Station Hardening". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. September 2024. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024.
29. "Tougher new fare gates greet travelers at BART's SFO station in time for busy travel season" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. October 31, 2024.

External links

• BART: San Francisco International Airport
• San Francisco International Airport: Public Transit
• Wind Portal on YouTube

• Bay Area Rapid Transit stations in San Mateo County, California
• Stations on the Yellow Line (BART)
• Stations on the Red Line (BART)
• San Francisco International Airport
• Airport railway stations in the United States
• Railway stations in the United States opened in 2003
• 2003 establishments in California