This is absolutely extraordinary. I've never seen a cab ride done documentary style. This should be shown in an IMAX, or at least as an exhibit in a transit museum. Well done.
As someone else said, this is indeed a love letter to BART. I live in the East Bay and worked in downtown San Francisco and couldn't have done it without BART. For 25 years I commuted on BART. I'm a great advocate of public transportation, and believe BART is an exceptional system. People in the Bay Area are so fortunate to have it and too often take it for granted.. Thank you Vincent Woo, for your remarkable film.
This! And if we don't start riding our rail systems and advocating for public funding then we'll just lose it all again like we did with the Key System.
The point of my edit to your comment @elizabeth, was to open a discussion on how multitude bus fleets need improvement. Stations need better bus transfers, better buses. Merely converting OLD bus chassis/suspension to EV is FAR from Ideal. Yellow School Bus & Paratransit Lift-vans likewise do NOT convert to EV very well at all at twice the price. Anyone else like to pick up on the bad idea of retaining unsafe poor handling buses I'd be obliged.
my parents are train operators i actually got to see this view when it was bring you children to work day and it genuinely sparked my love for public transit so happy i get to see it again
@@edwardlugo-lopez8890dont know about now, but in the early 2000's, you'd hear about it once every year. And definitely couldn't miss the last minute notification you'd get from the radio
Sometimes we take some extraordinary things for granted in the Bay Area. The cool fog in summer, the redwoods growing so close to the skyscrapers, the promise of great food around any corner, the views from a zillion hilltops, water water everywhere… and of course, BART. Almost impossible to imagine this place without it. Thanks for filming such a visually-splendid reminder!
@@wta1518 Right? I live in SF. It barely got to 60° today. I am wearing a wool cap and a sweater. If I wanted to bask in the 70s, I could've hopped on BART and been in Oakland in 15 minutes. If I wanted the 80s, another 15 minutes on BART would get me to Walnut Creek. Another great reason to live in the Bay Area...
@@wta1518 Hey dude, just hop on the Capitol Corridor and come hang out in SF or Oakland! The Capitol Corridor is a genuinely nice train run by passionate people who love trains. It's also hurting right now, so it could use your kind fare/donation. We have a lot of great rail transit in the Greater Bay Area and in NorCal in general. We need to start using it on principle if we don't want it to all die off.
I HELPED BUILD THE FIRST BART CARS. As the Systems Engineering Tech for the manufacturer in San Diego, later renamed United Technologies, I got to design and build the Anti-BART that we used to test the four different types of electrical circuits. Because of that I became the first person to sit in the first seat of the first BART car.
I work for BART and I’m a transit junkie . It would normally be my job to stop you from touching our trains, step behind the yellow line.. but this is amazing work. Having worked almost all these stations seeing them from these views is cool. Thank you . (And please be careful😊 )
True I might videotape you years back myself via , My GoPro or Video Shoot camera ‘ I’m surprised no one gets caught . All good ‘ I have been yelled at with larger cameras on Sty stem . As long As i dont sell the image its up to those seek good stories not Faul or bad News , But i agree Be Safe ‘ Bart event April 20th tomorrow ; Fr Last legacy fleet ‘ i agree ms, operator 😅
"As someone else said, this is indeed a love letter to BART. I live in East Bay and work in downtown San Francisco and couldn't have without BART. For 25 years I commute on BART. I'm an advocate for public transit and believe BART is an exceptional system. People in the Bay Area are fortunate to have it but too often take it for granted.
My reply to @elizabeth goes for any reader to consider WHY standard municipal bus chassis/suspension do NOT convert to EV adequately. Nor do Yellow School Bus and Paratransit lift-vans which should be easy boarding low-floor cabs that seniors, disabled, school kids and all transit patrons need. Writing my essay "The Walking Communities of 2040" - a series in 4 Parts, each part 500 words or so - the essay suggests: "Painted Dark Blue the standard yellow school bus make a good rig for prisoner transport and road crews. So, if these buses are good enough for criminals, they're good enough for school kids?
Timestamps for voiceover sections: 0:00 - Intro 5:11 - The birth of BART 10:39 - Interview with Michael C. Healy (spokesperson for BART for over three decades) 23:48 - Drug-dealing anecdote and black market counterfeit tickets 27:45 - Platform text-to-speech 33:35 - The Transbay Tube 40:22 - Continual funding gaps 44:12 - Interview with Senator Scott Wiener 1:01:53 - Interview with a BART train operator (Dewayne Deams) 1:12:36 - LBJ 1:18:31 - Interview with Dewayne Deams (cont.) I absolutely freaking love this :)
As a public transit nerd and Bay Area native, this is literally the stuff of my dreams. I was flooded by so many different emotions while watching this. I laughed, cried, grinned like an idiot, and clapped. Your editing style and attention to detail are second to none and the interviews are so wonderful. I LOVE how even though it looks like you attached your camera to an old A car, you recorded the ride audio from inside a "fleet of the future" unit (?), presumably for the station announcements. What an amazing video, please don't ever stop practicing your craft.
Good ear - what happened was simply that I didn't record myself attaching the camera for the run that made it into the final cut and had to make do with b-roll from a previous attempt.
@@VincentWoo ahhhh that makes so much more sense! So cool how you were able to get that audio. The end part talking to the operator was amazing. Thanks for the reply!
I was in the first seat, of the first train, on the first BART accident back on Oct 2nd, 1972, in what was called The Fremont Flyer. I watched the Train Operator pound the palm of his hand on the STOP button multiple times before he grabbed his hands on the sides of the console and hung on for his Free Frequent Flyer Miles! It was a great train ride and a great air ride, all at the same time! That was followed by a free ambulance ride to the local hospital (Washington Township -- right across the street from the station).
The minute following 37:00 is just a masterpiece. The music peaking as you emerge out of the bay tunnel, the other train passing by at the same time. It just could not be any better.
as a nyc transit creator, you’ve just inspired me to do something (somewhat) similar to this. hearing the history of the bay area’s struggle for transit while literally being whisked away on one of the longest lines in the system truly struck a chord with me. i cried several times watching this out of pure awe. i would only dream of doing something like this for the NYC subway, but you give me hope
I'll never forget taking my cousins from Albuquerque NM on BART who had never been in a subway before. My cousin said after we boarded, "it's nice!" and "it's fast". I think that's the mentality we should have towards rapid transit in this country moving forward. Us jaded residents in the bay area see the problems too often that we forget that what we have is effin NICE
The problem is that we have elected a BART Board that is good at coming up with nice slogans. But they are completely incompetent at running a clean, safe, and fast rail system. BART has become a stepping stone toward statewide political office. Our BART electeds simply don't care about making the system nice to use and useful. And let's not mice words, this is _our_ fault. We elected these bozos and they're killing BART.
I was born, raised, and currently live in LA, but I went to college in the Bay. The couple years I lived in the Bay were the best years of my life and BART was a huge part of that. Because of BART I got to see so many new places and meet so many new people, and moving back to LA made me realize how spoiled I was. BART made all of the Bay feel like a community where everyone and everything was only a few minutes away, while LA feels like an alienating gigantic expanse of space where living across the city feels like you live across the country. LA is making steps to strengthen its public transit system, but it is still far, far away from being as robust as BART. To everyone in the Bay, PLEASE PROTECT BART AT ALL COSTS!
I just recently moved to the bay area, and am consistently startled by just how useful BART is, especially when driving would put you through a tollbooth. This is an INCREDIBLE look into what makes this subway so unique. Beautiful footage, well-spoken interviews, honestly worth a watch even if you're not a huge fan of subways and trains
As a bay area native I must say this is pretty awesome. I have always wondered what it looks like through the tunnel bores, they are much cleaner than I expected.
In the first few minutes, I didn't think I would be able to sit through 90 minutes of this, but the interviews were so fascinating. I'm glad you stuck the encounter at the end where you were questioned about what you were doing. Great job!
It's almost like the ending of a docu-drama (or a documentary) where the narrator asked the audience what did you learn about the film. To you, the film director, I say, "Having lived in New York City all my life and have been to most of the transit systems in the United States, I have an even bigger appreciation for the Bay Area Rapid Transit and hope to one day visit and ride on the BART." And like a really good movie, I stayed for the closing credits. 🎉😂
The style of this video is unlike anything I've ever seen before. The storytelling and pacing are so relaxed yet engaging. This is far too high quality to just be on UA-cam.
As a born and raised kid from the city you've made me weep. Whenever I'm homesick I watch this video. It's the perfect ride from the end of the trip I used to take down to my friend's house every friday in middle school to play D&D out to the stop by where my sister lives and where I first saw my baby neice in my sister's car picking me up from the station. I need you to know you've made something truly special that tugs at every memory I credit for making me the man I am today... I cannot wait to show my future grandkids BART someday...
That BART is pretty symbolic in my life and I didn't even realize it. I went on my first solo international trip into California after the peak of C19. Still a stressful time to travel, and I went from a place tiny enough that there's no trains at all for hours, into such a large airport and having to figure out the BART after 14 hours of flying and at night 😂. Dealt with being around sketchy characters, the train being out of service leaving my stranded on a random platform for 30 minutes, and the shakiest ride along a highway of my life - apparently the route I was on was having track issues. Still, taking all that on while coming from a place where taking a bus out of town is considered "scary and sketchy", I felt extremely proud of myself. Not only did I gain my independence after spending my "welcome to independence" years in lockdown, I ended up becoming a pretty big transit nerd and public transportation advocate afterwards. There's my personal rant. Absolutely beautiful video.
BART was the first automated rapid transit system ever built. It cost about $1.6 billion which today is what Muni's T line cost to build about a mile and a half of tunnel , stations and assorted infrastructure. It cost $4.5 billion to build about 1 1/2 miles of subway under 2nd Ave in NYC (Q line extension to 96th St). There are a number of similarities between getting BART built and California High Speed Rail. Naysayers and lawsuits were/are numerous. But today BART has proven to be an incredible bargain. Cal HSR will be a bargain too 50 years after it gets built. Thanks for filming this Vincent.
@@dantem4119 That's exactly my point, there's no reason these rail lines should not be inter connected and allow standard rolling stock on each others line. Instead BART is going to bore 100+ ft deep below both Dridiron and Santa Clara station - absolute bonkers. Guess when you enjoy an entrenched monopoly you're free to protect your territory, with an astronomical budget at that.
I was on the Citizen's Committe to extend BART through San Mateo County. We could have had an aerial line through the county with a station under the garage at SFO for $400 million. We were never allowed to vote on it. Lobbyists convinced the Board of Supervisors to take us out of the district. This was a bargain compared to what the CalTrain improvements has cost. This left Santa Clara County isolated. The Marin County and Golden Gate Bridge directors story is an even sadder tale.
@@whyno713 BART does not run on standard gauge tracks so it cannot share tracks with Caltrain / CAHSR. However, CAHSR trains will use Caltrain tracks to get into central SFC
The BART announcement voices at 29:00 was such a treat! I'm sure those old voice will disappear soon but so fun to hear. The voiceovers and tidbits and music as you ride along was just so good! Also, the cartoon network show we bear bears live in SF and they ride bart on few episodes and it's fun to see media references to BART!
One side benefit of modal transit filming is it allows visitors unfamiliar with the area to preview exactly what their journey will look like. I've benefitted from this around the world and am grateful for those that share their passion.
I was born and raised in San Francisco, and still work in the City, but live in the East Bay. I take the BART multiple times every week. I know the trains are often dirty and lots of people think they're unsafe - they definitely can be! - but I appreciate this public transportation system for what it is and what it has been for decades. My earliest memory of BART was taking it with younger brother from San Francisco to Oakland to visit a family friend who is around our ages. Our parents were busy working, so we just hopped onto BART on our own, even though we weren't even 10 years old yet!
We need to all remember that BART was relatively clean and safe until only about a decade ago. The system leadership was taken over by crazies who care about everything in the world but running trains properly. We need to demand that BART return to its normal self. This is getting ridiculous.
Thanks for the remembrance of the Concord groundbreaking. My 14 year old self, along with a couple of friends, rode our bikes there to see the chopper landing and hear the President speak. It was a pivotal moment in Bay Area history. As an adult I worked on the system as a contractor for several years.
Beautiful! Queued for my next break for a trancey relaxation. After watching: Great tone and a must-watch for locals and those who see the need for strong infrastructure and unity. The intentional selection of time of day, music, interviews, and voiceovers give it a unique color. Hearing the words of a giant like LBJ was particularly moving. Well conducted interviews and urban artistry. I feel strongly for its historical and cultural relevance apt for museums or film festivals. I hope BART evolves to suit all riders around the clock as safe and reliable transport; maybe wishful, but it'd be amazing to see something like Japan here in the Bay!
just to throw in another voice: *this is a film worth a festival or two!!* if you think about it - it’s a documentary from a cabin (i’m 99% sure it’s one of a kind stylistically in that regards) + so tastefully chosen soundtrack + even the wide lens footage is so precisely on point. i don’t want to sound overdramatic or anything, but this is practically quite a high-ass art, it would really make sense to bring it to a wider audience to enjoy. _justsayin_
This is about the best "driver's eye view" train videos I have ever seen, and I have watched many of them over the years. What made it so good was what you did in post with the music, the voiceovers, and the interviews. It also had that extra touch of professional polish that is rare in the kind of UA-cam video. Thank you for that.
I’m thrilled to have been able to catch a showing of this at the Roxie theater in SF. This is really immaculately put together - the scoring and sound work, visual presentation, the stylish minimap, and the spirit and dedication to create a piece of documentary art like this. Bravo.
BART is one of the several things i love about the Bay Area. Sure, it has its issues, but ive used it my whole life, its a big part of it. I love my home, the Bay Area, and I wont ever abandon it.
As a fan and worker of urban railways, this is really amazing, the quality is so good and it is very interesting to see a detailed trip of this American metro system that is a marvel, and also to hear facts about people who worked and are working in this company, greetings from Mexico and keep it up to doing stuff like this.
Thank you so much for this, Vincent. I was transfixed for the whole ride. The rolling hills between North Concord/Martinez and Pittsburg/Bay Point in the late afternoon are absolutely stunning. Thanks for providing the views that so many of us have craned our necks through the back of the operator's cab to catch a glimpse of :) And thanks for blending it in with such cool lived experiences of many people on the system, discussing its history, operations, and challenges going into the future. Truly, truly beautiful.
This is fantastic! I don't know why BART hasn't considered doing something like this for each of the lines. The Interviews, music, everything works. And it's on a legacy Train at that? I'm a Bay Area born native living in Indiana now, but BART has been a huge part of my life since inception in 1972. Thanks to UA-cam and creators like yourself, I stay in touch with my roots.
I'm Bay Area born/raised and have been riding BART my entire life until I moved out of state four months ago. I was feeling homesick and watching your film, I didn't know I was going to have so many emotions about a transit system that has taken to almost all the end points of the system. Thank you for sharing your amazing talents! Watching this answered all my questions of what exactly does the BART operator sees. Pure Magic indeed. I will be revisiting this often when I wanting some Bay Love.
What a beautiful love letter to a California staple, I love just watching it on mute or low volume to relax. 40:40 BART’s cost is due to its congenital flaw, it’s non-standard rail gauge which will always require custom solutions to already solved problems.
As a lifelong Bay brat who just had to leave the region again unexpectedly this year: I am so delighted that this video found its way into my recommended. Sending this to my dad. He just moved out of the state for the first time in his 60+ years and I know he has as much fondness for BART as I do having been around to see them build it as a child. This is INCREDIBLE, Vincent. Thank you for making this!!!!
This film is absolutely beautiful. The video itself is gorgeous and captures the character of every environment that BART runs through from subway tunnels to the rolling East Bay hills. All of the interviews, anecdotes, and facts about BART were fascinating and added so much depth to a system that most people don't think twice about once they've arrived at their destination. Just phenomenal!
So well put! With all the anxiety about if, how and when the Bay Area will recover after the pandemic, there couldn't be a more hypnotically compelling testimony to how lucky we are here to have BART.
Stations: 1:40 - San Francisco International Airport (SFO) 4:28 - San Bruno 7:46 - South San Francisco 10:59 - Colma 14:28 - Daly City 18:32 - Balboa Park 20:49 - Glen Park 23:34 - 24th St Mission 25:36 - 16th St Mission 27:42 - Civic Center/UN Plaza 29:10 - Powell St 30:39 - Montgomery St 32:00 - Embarcadero 38:45 - West Oakland 42:26 - 12th St/Oakland City Center 44:10 - 19th St/Oakland 49:10 - MacArthur 52:14 - Rockridge 57:18 - Orinda 1:02:08 - Lafayette 1:06:36 - Walnut Creek 1:09:26 - Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre 1:14:37 - Concord 1:17:55 - North Concord/Martinez 1:24:18 - Pittsburg/Bay Point 1:26:52 - Pittsburg Transfer Platform
Glad the driver didn't hassle you more than he did about the cam retrieval in the end. I was thinking exactly how he is going to get the cam now when it pulled into that Antioch transfer train station. I'm sure you had it all worked out in your head, but then the driver had to hassle you. Thanks for the effort in making the video to share, and also the various interviews.
I've ridden BART for years and although I've peeked through the front car window before (mostly just to see how fast we were going), I never thought the forward view could be so cool. It looks so much faster than it feels! Thank you for the video, it's a real treat! Fun fact: If you ever watched THX 1138 (George Lucas, 1971), you were able to see the transbay tube before it had any tracks in it; a foot chase scene was filmed there.
this is inspiring incredibly sentimental feelings in me about public transit. like how people develop emotional attachments to their cars, except if cars are your parents then bart is like mother gaia, who gives us our freedom by transporting us through her magical earth tubes
30:12 just realizing how cool the evolution of the look of the stations is. They morph in a way that reflects the neighborhood of the station. They all look really cool.
This documentary film is so very well done, and is an informative and hypnotic train ride across the San Francisco Bay Area on the Bay Area Regional Transit system. For those of us who live around the SF Bay Area and have taken a ride or two on BART, watch this film from beginning to end. You get to see the view from the very front of the train the same way the BART train operators see things. You will see a lot of the behind the scenes travel through numerous tunnels underground and under the San Francisco Bay through the Trans Bay Tunnel. The included interviews with folks such as Michael C. Healy the former BART Director of Media, Scott Weiner California State Senator, and Dewayne Deams Train Operator sharing their perspectives and experiences on the BART system along with Albert Alexander performing as Lyndon B. Johnson when the BART system began operations back in 1971. This film’s music soundtrack is ideal for setting the mode for this film and does add to the surreal journey on BART, especially while traveling through the numerous tunnels. Recorded, edited and produced by Vincent Woo using a GoPro camera fastened to the front of a BART train traveling from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) south of San Francisco on the west side of the bay - to all the way out to the the eastern end of the line in Pittsburg Center.
My ears popped when the transbay tube footage started ... just like my ears used to do back when I took BART back in the early 1980's before leaving the bay area for the Midwest. 42:15 animal in tunnel run over alert.
My son is on the Autism Spectrum and he has profound intellectual disabilities. On weekend mornings, when it's not too crowded we get on BART and go for a few stops. He's entranced by the experience. We put this on. He locked in. Typically he can absorb a video for :30 - :90. He was focused on this for 20 minutes.
Mr. Woo. Thank you for sharing this on UA-cam. I could not make the Roxie showing. Over 50 years ago, I remember Market Street all dug up for the new District rail system: BARTD. Now with most of the Bay Area connected, BART as a dream is almost complete.
I work in the Bay Area now and have been a public transit and train enthusiast since the ripe old age of 11, when I took my first train ride from the Coliseum Station to Montgomery Street. Just like the author, riding BART as a teenager afforded me unimaginable freedom and not having to depend on having an adult driver. As I grew up and learned about other transit systems around the world I came to realize how remarkable it is to have a system like BART available to us. I marveled at the pre-pandemic crowds braving BART during rush hours in downtown SF stations and it made it all the more exciting. I still ride BART on a regular basis in 2023 but it saddens me that a doomsday scenario for BART keeps being floated.
I grew up in the bay area riding bart, loved it. Last time I rode it was a year and half ago because safety seemed to be not so strong anymore... has it improved?
@@videosuperhero100 when I started riding as a kid in the 90s the feeling on BART was very similar to today. There were good times and there were bad times. I think now any little incident can usually go viral and we’re just bombarded by it through various means of media. It just doesn’t feel that the safety is better or worse now but rather we’re just hyper-aware because of all the media we consume so it feels worse.
Thank you for this wonderful movie! As a young boy in the seventies, I was enchanted by Bart. As an adult, I've lived throughout the Bay Area, and every ride was a thrill. Always been a dream to see the view from the front of the train. Thank you again!
Like the author of this video, I was a teenager in San Jose who loved tried "escaping" on BART whenever I could. The BART trip, the bus ride to Fremont - these were the symbols of my independence, my ticket to adventure.
BART really is an extraordinary system. We need to relearn to love and venerate it the way we used to when it was first built. It was and still is a marvel of engineering. And the fact that it was built at all with such insane coverage is just amazing. We did well, now we just need to do better. This video is an instant Bay Area classic! Love you all all! Love the Bay! Now let's do more an better! That's what we do!
I moved to the Bay Area from the Chicago suburbs last September. I love BART. I never learned how to drive so my option for getting to and from my college campus was the yellow line. The trip would take an hour and a half, which may sound like a long time compared to driving, but I always preferred spending that time on the train getting assignments done and listening to podcasts. I felt like the system definitely gets taken for granted, because I don't know what I'd do if it didn't exist. It's simultaneously one of the most underappreciated and greatest transit systems in North America.
Yep, this! We've forgotten how exceptional and unlikely BART is. I have been travelling extensively and always viewed BART as somewhat of a cosmic anomaly. The fact that it even exists in this country, in this state is an incredible miracle. I hope more people understand and appreciate BART!
My fave Bart driver POV landscapes: 1) emerging from the tube in West Oakland and shooting up onto the elevated guideway. It's like the train is taking off into the air. 2) going through the big Grove Shafter interchange before MacArthur (580/980/24 freeways) 3) coming out of the tunnel before Orinda. You're in a bunch of trees.
Thank you Vincent! Bart operators get to experience the Stargate from 2001 every day going through the Transbay Tube. I will never take another trip on BART without thinking about your 'movie'!
Never would I have thought someone would take something as nerdy as “slow TV” and real time train journeys and make into a cinematic experience. This is more than an operator filming his route. This feels different. Bravo!
Watched your interview on KTVU the other morning which got me interested in your documentary. I’ve been riding BART since the late 80s and this is the first time I’ve ever seen a head on view of the ride. I’ve seen many other train videos with head on views though. Glad you took the risk to make this because it’s so cool.
Great video! I recently retired from 20 years as an engineer at BART and this brings back lots of memories. Often I would be talking on the radio helping with testing during the graveyard shift. I was really proud to be a part of the BART team, and to work on the low level hardware and software that directly helps the public. I still love riding BART and the train plus a bicycle is my favorite way of getting around the Bay Area.
what a genius idea for a documentary. this was so beautiful and the interviews and music were such an engaging part of the whole thing. this should definitely be on netflix or on IMAX.
I knew a fellow who worked on building BART. He said that the lights in side the tunnels were a psychedelic light show. He was right. I'm so grateful I get to finally see what he was ecstatically talking about. Thank you!
I wish that BART were sufficiently self-aware and media-savvy to use that image as a publicity piece. It really looks amazing and no one has ever seen it outside of a tiny group of people! Many other systems would have that pattern on every other piece of media and printed on the trains. Meanwhile, our elected BART Board is busy wasting $500k to not help a single homeless person find housing. The incompetence with them is just ridiculous.
Didn't expect that San Francisco, an American city, had such an advanced metro network. Coming from Athens, which is renowned for having an advanced metro network, kudos!
Oh, this is just the tip of the iceberg. SF was built on rail. Every two blocks there was a rail line throughout the entire city. Cable cars were invented in SF and spread throughout the entire world. We had the first public city-owned rail system in the world. A lot of that was torn down but a lot has survived and we've brought back a ton that didn't. BART itself was the first fully automated metro system in the world and reaches speeds of up to 80 mph (128 km/h) in regular service. If you're ever visiting SF, make sure to check out the SF Cable cars (the oldest in the world), the historic electric streetcars (rolling museum with historic trams from all over the world), the Muni Metro (modern light metro), BART, and Caltrain (urban commuter rail that will be able to reach 110 mph or 177 km/h)
Great video! I'd also be interested to listen to the full, no music no narration audio for this ride sometime, the snippets I can hear sound like a relaxing way to doze off.
6 years ago I spent the summer in the Bay Area. Shared a place with 4 other persons, but had the best time of my life. Almost every weekend I would make sure to travel somewhere in the city center and just explore, but there was one rare day when all of us visited the touristy places together. We rode BART on the way back, and the sunshine was just like what's in this video. Thank you for bringing that memory back.
Just echoing what everyone else has said - this was absolutely beautiful and I enjoyed every single minute of it. The footage, the music, the interviews, the map, the story - everything. Hats off to you!
I actually had the same idea a few years ago when I got my new GoPro camera, to do this along with filming the BART with my drone. But never managed to actually to get the proper authorization, to go and do it. So, well done indeed ! And great work putting everything together nicely, along with the BART's map.
@@derek20la someone sees it, knows it's unauthorized, jumps on the train to remove it and the operator doesn't hit the emergency brake in time, person falls in front of the train. This other one probably won't happen, but the GoPro falls off and shorts out the train or if on an elevated section, falls on someone's head. Many bullets get shot into the air, all it takes is the lucky winner to find out.
Unauthorized? Well this may be, but BART must really award you for promoting the beauty of the system, the importance of rapid transit and how fundamental it is for countries and cities to invest in heavy rail. I am a foreigner but I have heard that BART is facing some financial difficulties because of the continuous low ridership. Despite the fact that we have exited the pandemic's restrictions, it seems that people still choose to work from home. BART is an amazing system, with its flaws, but I cannot stop loving the beautiful architecture of stations like e.g. Balboa Park and Glen Park and how it has helped S.F. to grow. Exceptional one of a kind video. Who knows, maybe BART will be inspired by you and follow the CTA's example and film full videos of its own lines/routes.
Awesome video! This Deserves a medal. Would be great to show at a film festival! Unfortunately we dont want to break any laws. But sometimes you just have to e to go for it!
Love this, even as a NYer. (Well, I did live in SF for three years, but only occasionally took BART because Civic Center was closer than 5th and King, and I often had to take Caltrain to Palo Alto where my corporate HQ was). Really annoyed me that BART and Caltrain didn't synchronize trains at Millbrae. Bay Area could absolutely work better to coordinate services between its systems.
I agree. If Caltrain went into downtown SF where BART has its most intense frequency, and if Caltrain electrified so it could run as frequently as BART, the whole Bay Area would feel so much easier to navigate. Riding from Berkeley to Palo Alto, Redwood City to Richmond, Hayward to Hillsdale could be as effortless as going from Balboa Park to Bayfair today. It's maddening/exhilarating. Caltrain's electrification and extension to the Salesforce Transit Center seem so close...but then again they're still 6 or 7 long years away.
@@GregCostikyan-t1u Exactly. I remember the days when I had to get off BART at Colma and transfer to a bus that finished to last few miles on the crowded freeway to get to SFO. I thought it would be a game-changer when BART finally went into SFO. And it has been, it's a connection I never take for granted. It reminds me that some progress might feel like small steps, but other times it feels like the huge leap forward we needed.
Just want to say how inspiring this is, I regularly film BART from the air (drone) and they use a lot of my footage on their social media but when I've requested to ride and film with them I was told they strictly forbid it. The way you went about this was the best approach, crafty and thoughtful with such a beautiful outcome. So kudos to you for thinking outside of the box. I don't see you on IG but if there's an account for your work I would love to follow.
Great job Vincent! I rode BART many years and the bayarea was home for more than 20 years. It drives me to tears to ride the bart again with you, from sfo to Pittsburgh bay point, sitting in my Hawaii backyard.
Hey, don't worry, Honolulu is building a trains that is basically just modernized BART. The HART planners literally said that they wanted to build something like BART and they did! So at least now you'll have something extremely similar to a modern BART right there in Hawaii!
I'm from SoCal and have ridden BART a couple of times. This journey was SOOOO amazing. Was it the narration? The Video? But it's a view that no-one, except the conductor, ever sees. Thank you for this "vacation"!!!
I’ve always been very public-transit-pilled. Recently moved to SF from a very hostile public transit environment (TX), and this video really encapsulates my appreciation for BART in such a beautiful way. Learned a lot about the miraculous beginnings of BART. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for cluing me into this Vincent and I appreciate our many chats, even the super technical heavy ones! I look forward to helping you secure footage of future rides. This was an amazing film!
This is really cool. I just spent two weeks in San Francisco and fell in love with the city and both the BART and MUNI systems played a big role in that. Great film and interviews. Thanks for sharing!
I love this! Having a phone interview with someone who worked on and or with BART, while showing this travel footage is fantastic! The experience is really thought provoking. We see all the infrastructure in its various states, mostly good, but obviously used, and the conversation seems more immersion than just watching it with some music alone would be. It is as if we are in the front cab with the operator? Engineer? Driver? I do wonder what BART would call that staff... And the travel times! It is fast. Unexpectedly fast. Nice work! It deserves recognition.
This is the problem Miami is facing now. We have a few systems, but we have not expanded them in many years. And it's come to the point where we can no longer live without it.
Oh my god this was an amazing trip! I used to live in San Bruno and moved out to Oakley, so I knew the exact spot the train was. Also, I’ve only rode the Bart a few times in the 24 years I lived in the Bay Area, but still thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this journey from start to finish, along with the chillax background music with Minecraft vibes…loved it! At first, I thought that you should’ve timelapsed the video, but glad you kept it real time. Also appreciated the narratives and the history of this wonderful system hundreds of thousands of people take for granted in the Bay Area. I’m also grateful the driver didn’t call in the device you stuck on the front of his train! Thanks for sharing this!
I recorded the SFO northbound segment from inside and it opens my video Bart Everlasting. I have rewatched it many times, mentally comparing it to many line segments I have visited around the world. The symphony and vitality of that run is mesmerizing and beyond compare. Very excited to get to see what you did here, thank you.
Fam!!!! This is effing spectacular!!! Not only did you capture the DREAM angle and footage that every single BART rider has only imagined, you got some super insightful interviews?!?! This is so so so great!!!
@ Vincent Woo: You've done a beautiful job of showing off BART in a way its regular riders haven't (until now) been able to experience. I likewise love your narration and interviews with people both red-blooded and virtual! Clearly you have great affection and admiration for the amazing system which barely squeaked through that tiny port hole window of opportunity you've so ably described. A total "Bravo!" to you for putting together this remarkable testament to human creativity and persistence in the face of adversity!
This is absolutely extraordinary. I've never seen a cab ride done documentary style. This should be shown in an IMAX, or at least as an exhibit in a transit museum. Well done.
i can even see this in the moma. simply spectacular
Fancy meeting you here!
@@laeihbvaljefhbvalejfhbv 100%
@@GeekFilter Hey, this isn't a dead mall video! 😆🖖
it's actually quite common. companies like video125 have made a business out of it
As someone else said, this is indeed a love letter to BART. I live in the East Bay and worked in downtown San Francisco and couldn't have done it without BART. For 25 years I commuted on BART. I'm a great advocate of public transportation, and believe BART is an exceptional system. People in the Bay Area are so fortunate to have it and too often take it for granted.. Thank you Vincent Woo, for your remarkable film.
This! And if we don't start riding our rail systems and advocating for public funding then we'll just lose it all again like we did with the Key System.
@@TohaBgood2 BART & MUNI trolleybus streetcar are still most advanced idea application, expecting all of our wonderful world to see.
The point of my edit to your comment @elizabeth, was to open a discussion on how multitude bus fleets need improvement. Stations need better bus transfers, better buses. Merely converting OLD bus chassis/suspension to EV is FAR from Ideal. Yellow School Bus & Paratransit Lift-vans likewise do NOT convert to EV very well at all at twice the price. Anyone else like to pick up on the bad idea of retaining unsafe poor handling buses I'd be obliged.
my parents are train operators i actually got to see this view when it was bring you children to work day and it genuinely sparked my love for public transit so happy i get to see it again
As a kid I got to go up front for a moment to see the view. So cool to see it again.
They have that? Bring your kid to work day? How often?
@@edwardlugo-lopez8890dont know about now, but in the early 2000's, you'd hear about it once every year. And definitely couldn't miss the last minute notification you'd get from the radio
Sometimes we take some extraordinary things for granted in the Bay Area. The cool fog in summer, the redwoods growing so close to the skyscrapers, the promise of great food around any corner, the views from a zillion hilltops, water water everywhere… and of course, BART. Almost impossible to imagine this place without it. Thanks for filming such a visually-splendid reminder!
Also you don't get 105° days.
@@wta1518 Right? I live in SF. It barely got to 60° today. I am wearing a wool cap and a sweater. If I wanted to bask in the 70s, I could've hopped on BART and been in Oakland in 15 minutes. If I wanted the 80s, another 15 minutes on BART would get me to Walnut Creek. Another great reason to live in the Bay Area...
@@peteralbert1485 Meanwhile I'm here in Sacramento trying not to die in the 108° heat.
@@wta1518 Hey dude, just hop on the Capitol Corridor and come hang out in SF or Oakland! The Capitol Corridor is a genuinely nice train run by passionate people who love trains. It's also hurting right now, so it could use your kind fare/donation. We have a lot of great rail transit in the Greater Bay Area and in NorCal in general. We need to start using it on principle if we don't want it to all die off.
@@TohaBgood2 but the capitol corridor's expensive :(
I HELPED BUILD THE FIRST BART CARS.
As the Systems Engineering Tech for the manufacturer in San Diego, later renamed United Technologies, I got to design and build the Anti-BART that we used to test the four different types of electrical circuits.
Because of that I became the first person to sit in the first seat of the first BART car.
Hell yeah
I work for BART and I’m a transit junkie . It would normally be my job to stop you from touching our trains, step behind the yellow line.. but this is amazing work. Having worked almost all these stations seeing them from these views is cool. Thank you . (And please be careful😊 )
how did the train operator and or other staff not catch this? would it even be allowed
Someone at BART needs to learn what positive PR videos like this would be.
I too worked at Bart. And the fact that he got always with the camera was the first thing I thought of😂😂
True I might videotape you years back myself via , My GoPro or Video Shoot camera ‘ I’m surprised no one gets caught . All good ‘ I have been yelled at with larger cameras on Sty stem . As long As i dont sell the image its up to those seek good stories not Faul or bad News , But i agree Be Safe ‘ Bart event April 20th tomorrow ; Fr Last legacy fleet ‘ i agree ms, operator 😅
"As someone else said, this is indeed a love letter to BART. I live in East Bay and work in downtown San Francisco and couldn't have without BART. For 25 years I commute on BART. I'm an advocate for public transit and believe BART is an exceptional system. People in the Bay Area are fortunate to have it but too often take it for granted.
My reply to @elizabeth goes for any reader to consider WHY standard municipal bus chassis/suspension do NOT convert to EV adequately. Nor do Yellow School Bus and Paratransit lift-vans which should be easy boarding low-floor cabs that seniors, disabled, school kids and all transit patrons need.
Writing my essay "The Walking Communities of 2040" - a series in 4 Parts, each part 500 words or so - the essay suggests: "Painted Dark Blue the standard yellow school bus make a good rig for prisoner transport and road crews. So, if these buses are good enough for criminals, they're good enough for school kids?
Dude. You need to submit this to some film festivals. This is outstanding work
oh hey
@@TanielCoolGuy I'm pro transit all around 😎
EXACTLY! ❤
Oh... hi bit.
omg i never thought i would see you here lol
Timestamps for voiceover sections:
0:00 - Intro
5:11 - The birth of BART
10:39 - Interview with Michael C. Healy (spokesperson for BART for over three decades)
23:48 - Drug-dealing anecdote and black market counterfeit tickets
27:45 - Platform text-to-speech
33:35 - The Transbay Tube
40:22 - Continual funding gaps
44:12 - Interview with Senator Scott Wiener
1:01:53 - Interview with a BART train operator (Dewayne Deams)
1:12:36 - LBJ
1:18:31 - Interview with Dewayne Deams (cont.)
I absolutely freaking love this :)
Thank you for this.
Thank you!
@vincentwoo If you copy this into the description, YT will make chapter breaks for you.
@@lohphat that's not a bad idea. I worry a little bit about ruining the suspense for someone who's just watching straight through
The text-to-speech part had me rolling on the floor while being informed.
As a public transit nerd and Bay Area native, this is literally the stuff of my dreams. I was flooded by so many different emotions while watching this. I laughed, cried, grinned like an idiot, and clapped. Your editing style and attention to detail are second to none and the interviews are so wonderful. I LOVE how even though it looks like you attached your camera to an old A car, you recorded the ride audio from inside a "fleet of the future" unit (?), presumably for the station announcements. What an amazing video, please don't ever stop practicing your craft.
Good ear - what happened was simply that I didn't record myself attaching the camera for the run that made it into the final cut and had to make do with b-roll from a previous attempt.
@@VincentWoo ahhhh that makes so much more sense! So cool how you were able to get that audio. The end part talking to the operator was amazing. Thanks for the reply!
Was just about to comment about how the shot showed an older unit-but the announcements were from a fleet of future unit.
This is the kind of incredible work that should be playing in transit museums.
It should have a home at the SFMOMA for a while.
I was in the first seat, of the first train, on the first BART accident back on Oct 2nd, 1972, in what was called The Fremont Flyer. I watched the Train Operator pound the palm of his hand on the STOP button multiple times before he grabbed his hands on the sides of the console and hung on for his Free Frequent Flyer Miles! It was a great train ride and a great air ride, all at the same time! That was followed by a free ambulance ride to the local hospital (Washington Township -- right across the street from the station).
wow, thanks for sharing your story!
The minute following 37:00 is just a masterpiece. The music peaking as you emerge out of the bay tunnel, the other train passing by at the same time. It just could not be any better.
That’s so awesome ❤
as a nyc transit creator, you’ve just inspired me to do something (somewhat) similar to this. hearing the history of the bay area’s struggle for transit while literally being whisked away on one of the longest lines in the system truly struck a chord with me. i cried several times watching this out of pure awe. i would only dream of doing something like this for the NYC subway, but you give me hope
I'll never forget taking my cousins from Albuquerque NM on BART who had never been in a subway before. My cousin said after we boarded, "it's nice!" and "it's fast". I think that's the mentality we should have towards rapid transit in this country moving forward. Us jaded residents in the bay area see the problems too often that we forget that what we have is effin NICE
Like come on, LA still hasn't figured rapid transit out, even though it has the potential to make that city like London
The problem is that we have elected a BART Board that is good at coming up with nice slogans. But they are completely incompetent at running a clean, safe, and fast rail system. BART has become a stepping stone toward statewide political office. Our BART electeds simply don't care about making the system nice to use and useful. And let's not mice words, this is _our_ fault. We elected these bozos and they're killing BART.
I was born, raised, and currently live in LA, but I went to college in the Bay. The couple years I lived in the Bay were the best years of my life and BART was a huge part of that. Because of BART I got to see so many new places and meet so many new people, and moving back to LA made me realize how spoiled I was. BART made all of the Bay feel like a community where everyone and everything was only a few minutes away, while LA feels like an alienating gigantic expanse of space where living across the city feels like you live across the country. LA is making steps to strengthen its public transit system, but it is still far, far away from being as robust as BART. To everyone in the Bay, PLEASE PROTECT BART AT ALL COSTS!
The way you colour graded this and added the minimap is exquisite. Well done!
This is the love letter to BART we didn’t know we needed. Bravo 👏
I just recently moved to the bay area, and am consistently startled by just how useful BART is, especially when driving would put you through a tollbooth. This is an INCREDIBLE look into what makes this subway so unique. Beautiful footage, well-spoken interviews, honestly worth a watch even if you're not a huge fan of subways and trains
As a bay area native I must say this is pretty awesome. I have always wondered what it looks like through the tunnel bores, they are much cleaner than I expected.
Right!!!! They do look like they need maintenance, but even still!
To see the forward view is a great perspective, the 60 MPH side view left me wanting more...I too was surprised of the clean areas under the bay...
In the first few minutes, I didn't think I would be able to sit through 90 minutes of this, but the interviews were so fascinating. I'm glad you stuck the encounter at the end where you were questioned about what you were doing. Great job!
It's almost like the ending of a docu-drama (or a documentary) where the narrator asked the audience what did you learn about the film. To you, the film director, I say, "Having lived in New York City all my life and have been to most of the transit systems in the United States, I have an even bigger appreciation for the Bay Area Rapid Transit and hope to one day visit and ride on the BART."
And like a really good movie, I stayed for the closing credits. 🎉😂
The style of this video is unlike anything I've ever seen before. The storytelling and pacing are so relaxed yet engaging. This is far too high quality to just be on UA-cam.
As a born and raised kid from the city you've made me weep. Whenever I'm homesick I watch this video.
It's the perfect ride from the end of the trip I used to take down to my friend's house every friday in middle school to play D&D out to the stop by where my sister lives and where I first saw my baby neice in my sister's car picking me up from the station.
I need you to know you've made something truly special that tugs at every memory I credit for making me the man I am today...
I cannot wait to show my future grandkids BART someday...
thank you, very beautiful note
@@VincentWooBART needs to do way better Top Speed than 70…
That BART is pretty symbolic in my life and I didn't even realize it. I went on my first solo international trip into California after the peak of C19. Still a stressful time to travel, and I went from a place tiny enough that there's no trains at all for hours, into such a large airport and having to figure out the BART after 14 hours of flying and at night 😂. Dealt with being around sketchy characters, the train being out of service leaving my stranded on a random platform for 30 minutes, and the shakiest ride along a highway of my life - apparently the route I was on was having track issues. Still, taking all that on while coming from a place where taking a bus out of town is considered "scary and sketchy", I felt extremely proud of myself. Not only did I gain my independence after spending my "welcome to independence" years in lockdown, I ended up becoming a pretty big transit nerd and public transportation advocate afterwards.
There's my personal rant. Absolutely beautiful video.
BART was the first automated rapid transit system ever built. It cost about $1.6 billion which today is what Muni's T line cost to build about a mile and a half of tunnel , stations and assorted infrastructure. It cost $4.5 billion to build about 1 1/2 miles of subway under 2nd Ave in NYC (Q line extension to 96th St). There are a number of similarities between getting BART built and California High Speed Rail. Naysayers and lawsuits were/are numerous. But today BART has proven to be an incredible bargain. Cal HSR will be a bargain too 50 years after it gets built. Thanks for filming this Vincent.
and they want $12+billion for 4.7 miles to terminate 100 ft. underground in San Jose - not connecting to any other rail. Incredible bargain.
@@whyno713 Except it will directly interface with Caltrain at the Santa Clara terminus.
@@dantem4119 That's exactly my point, there's no reason these rail lines should not be inter connected and allow standard rolling stock on each others line. Instead BART is going to bore 100+ ft deep below both Dridiron and Santa Clara station - absolute bonkers.
Guess when you enjoy an entrenched monopoly you're free to protect your territory, with an astronomical budget at that.
I was on the Citizen's Committe to extend BART through San Mateo County. We could have had an aerial line through the county with a station under the garage at SFO for $400 million. We were never allowed to vote on it. Lobbyists convinced the Board of Supervisors to take us out of the district. This was a bargain compared to what the CalTrain improvements has cost. This left Santa Clara County isolated. The Marin County and Golden Gate Bridge directors story is an even sadder tale.
@@whyno713 BART does not run on standard gauge tracks so it cannot share tracks with Caltrain / CAHSR. However, CAHSR trains will use Caltrain tracks to get into central SFC
The BART announcement voices at 29:00 was such a treat! I'm sure those old voice will disappear soon but so fun to hear. The voiceovers and tidbits and music as you ride along was just so good!
Also, the cartoon network show we bear bears live in SF and they ride bart on few episodes and it's fun to see media references to BART!
One side benefit of modal transit filming is it allows visitors unfamiliar with the area to preview exactly what their journey will look like. I've benefitted from this around the world and am grateful for those that share their passion.
I was born and raised in San Francisco, and still work in the City, but live in the East Bay. I take the BART multiple times every week. I know the trains are often dirty and lots of people think they're unsafe - they definitely can be! - but I appreciate this public transportation system for what it is and what it has been for decades.
My earliest memory of BART was taking it with younger brother from San Francisco to Oakland to visit a family friend who is around our ages. Our parents were busy working, so we just hopped onto BART on our own, even though we weren't even 10 years old yet!
We need to all remember that BART was relatively clean and safe until only about a decade ago. The system leadership was taken over by crazies who care about everything in the world but running trains properly. We need to demand that BART return to its normal self. This is getting ridiculous.
Thanks for the remembrance of the Concord groundbreaking. My 14 year old self, along with a couple of friends, rode our bikes there to see the chopper landing and hear the President speak. It was a pivotal moment in Bay Area history. As an adult I worked on the system as a contractor for several years.
Where in concord was that?
At the site that would later become the Concord maintenance yard.@@lincolnlopez7563
Beautiful! Queued for my next break for a trancey relaxation.
After watching: Great tone and a must-watch for locals and those who see the need for strong infrastructure and unity. The intentional selection of time of day, music, interviews, and voiceovers give it a unique color. Hearing the words of a giant like LBJ was particularly moving. Well conducted interviews and urban artistry. I feel strongly for its historical and cultural relevance apt for museums or film festivals. I hope BART evolves to suit all riders around the clock as safe and reliable transport; maybe wishful, but it'd be amazing to see something like Japan here in the Bay!
Came here to see a train, stayed here to experience an incredibly wholesome documentary.
just to throw in another voice: *this is a film worth a festival or two!!* if you think about it - it’s a documentary from a cabin (i’m 99% sure it’s one of a kind stylistically in that regards) + so tastefully chosen soundtrack + even the wide lens footage is so precisely on point.
i don’t want to sound overdramatic or anything, but this is practically quite a high-ass art, it would really make sense to bring it to a wider audience to enjoy. _justsayin_
This is about the best "driver's eye view" train videos I have ever seen, and I have watched many of them over the years. What made it so good was what you did in post with the music, the voiceovers, and the interviews. It also had that extra touch of professional polish that is rare in the kind of UA-cam video. Thank you for that.
I always love how one can look from one Market Street station into the next through the tunnel.
I’m thrilled to have been able to catch a showing of this at the Roxie theater in SF. This is really immaculately put together - the scoring and sound work, visual presentation, the stylish minimap, and the spirit and dedication to create a piece of documentary art like this. Bravo.
BART is one of the several things i love about the Bay Area. Sure, it has its issues, but ive used it my whole life, its a big part of it.
I love my home, the Bay Area, and I wont ever abandon it.
watching this while high is a spiritual experience
🎯
As a fan and worker of urban railways, this is really amazing, the quality is so good and it is very interesting to see a detailed trip of this American metro system that is a marvel, and also to hear facts about people who worked and are working in this company, greetings from Mexico and keep it up to doing stuff like this.
Thank you so much for this, Vincent. I was transfixed for the whole ride. The rolling hills between North Concord/Martinez and Pittsburg/Bay Point in the late afternoon are absolutely stunning. Thanks for providing the views that so many of us have craned our necks through the back of the operator's cab to catch a glimpse of :) And thanks for blending it in with such cool lived experiences of many people on the system, discussing its history, operations, and challenges going into the future. Truly, truly beautiful.
This is fantastic! I don't know why BART hasn't considered doing something like this for each of the lines. The Interviews, music, everything works. And it's on a legacy Train at that?
I'm a Bay Area born native living in Indiana now, but BART has been a huge part of my life since inception in 1972. Thanks to UA-cam and creators like yourself, I stay in touch with my roots.
I'm Bay Area born/raised and have been riding BART my entire life until I moved out of state four months ago. I was feeling homesick and watching your film, I didn't know I was going to have so many emotions about a transit system that has taken to almost all the end points of the system. Thank you for sharing your amazing talents! Watching this answered all my questions of what exactly does the BART operator sees. Pure Magic indeed. I will be revisiting this often when I wanting some Bay Love.
What a beautiful love letter to a California staple, I love just watching it on mute or low volume to relax.
40:40 BART’s cost is due to its congenital flaw, it’s non-standard rail gauge which will always require custom solutions to already solved problems.
As a lifelong Bay brat who just had to leave the region again unexpectedly this year: I am so delighted that this video found its way into my recommended. Sending this to my dad. He just moved out of the state for the first time in his 60+ years and I know he has as much fondness for BART as I do having been around to see them build it as a child. This is INCREDIBLE, Vincent. Thank you for making this!!!!
This film is absolutely beautiful. The video itself is gorgeous and captures the character of every environment that BART runs through from subway tunnels to the rolling East Bay hills. All of the interviews, anecdotes, and facts about BART were fascinating and added so much depth to a system that most people don't think twice about once they've arrived at their destination. Just phenomenal!
So well put! With all the anxiety about if, how and when the Bay Area will recover after the pandemic, there couldn't be a more hypnotically compelling testimony to how lucky we are here to have BART.
Stations:
1:40 - San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
4:28 - San Bruno
7:46 - South San Francisco
10:59 - Colma
14:28 - Daly City
18:32 - Balboa Park
20:49 - Glen Park
23:34 - 24th St Mission
25:36 - 16th St Mission
27:42 - Civic Center/UN Plaza
29:10 - Powell St
30:39 - Montgomery St
32:00 - Embarcadero
38:45 - West Oakland
42:26 - 12th St/Oakland City Center
44:10 - 19th St/Oakland
49:10 - MacArthur
52:14 - Rockridge
57:18 - Orinda
1:02:08 - Lafayette
1:06:36 - Walnut Creek
1:09:26 - Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre
1:14:37 - Concord
1:17:55 - North Concord/Martinez
1:24:18 - Pittsburg/Bay Point
1:26:52 - Pittsburg Transfer Platform
Glad the driver didn't hassle you more than he did about the cam retrieval in the end. I was thinking exactly how he is going to get the cam now when it pulled into that Antioch transfer train station. I'm sure you had it all worked out in your head, but then the driver had to hassle you. Thanks for the effort in making the video to share, and also the various interviews.
I've ridden BART for years and although I've peeked through the front car window before (mostly just to see how fast we were going), I never thought the forward view could be so cool. It looks so much faster than it feels! Thank you for the video, it's a real treat! Fun fact: If you ever watched THX 1138 (George Lucas, 1971), you were able to see the transbay tube before it had any tracks in it; a foot chase scene was filmed there.
The soundscape you create in this is amazing, from music to interviews to train announcements.
this is inspiring incredibly sentimental feelings in me about public transit. like how people develop emotional attachments to their cars, except if cars are your parents then bart is like mother gaia, who gives us our freedom by transporting us through her magical earth tubes
30:12 just realizing how cool the evolution of the look of the stations is. They morph in a way that reflects the neighborhood of the station. They all look really cool.
This documentary film is so very well done, and is an informative and hypnotic train ride across the San Francisco Bay Area on the Bay Area Regional Transit system.
For those of us who live around the SF Bay Area and have taken a ride or two on BART, watch this film from beginning to end. You get to see the view from the very front of the train the same way the BART train operators see things. You will see a lot of the behind the scenes travel through numerous tunnels underground and under the San Francisco Bay through the Trans Bay Tunnel.
The included interviews with folks such as Michael C. Healy the former BART Director of Media, Scott Weiner California State Senator, and Dewayne Deams Train Operator sharing their perspectives and experiences on the BART system along with Albert Alexander performing as Lyndon B. Johnson when the BART system began operations back in 1971.
This film’s music soundtrack is ideal for setting the mode for this film and does add to the surreal journey on BART, especially while traveling through the numerous tunnels.
Recorded, edited and produced by Vincent Woo using a GoPro camera fastened to the front of a BART train traveling from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) south of San Francisco on the west side of the bay - to all the way out to the the eastern end of the line in Pittsburg Center.
My ears popped when the transbay tube footage started ... just like my ears used to do back when I took BART back in the early 1980's before leaving the bay area for the Midwest. 42:15 animal in tunnel run over alert.
Extremely well produced. The style is so unique! Keep up the good work.
My son is on the Autism Spectrum and he has profound intellectual disabilities. On weekend mornings, when it's not too crowded we get on BART and go for a few stops. He's entranced by the experience. We put this on. He locked in. Typically he can absorb a video for :30 - :90. He was focused on this for 20 minutes.
thats very sweet to hear I'm glad the two of you enjoyed
Mr. Woo. Thank you for sharing this on UA-cam. I could not make the Roxie showing. Over 50 years ago, I remember Market Street all dug up for the new District rail system: BARTD. Now with most of the Bay Area connected, BART as a dream is almost complete.
I work in the Bay Area now and have been a public transit and train enthusiast since the ripe old age of 11, when I took my first train ride from the Coliseum Station to Montgomery Street. Just like the author, riding BART as a teenager afforded me unimaginable freedom and not having to depend on having an adult driver. As I grew up and learned about other transit systems around the world I came to realize how remarkable it is to have a system like BART available to us. I marveled at the pre-pandemic crowds braving BART during rush hours in downtown SF stations and it made it all the more exciting. I still ride BART on a regular basis in 2023 but it saddens me that a doomsday scenario for BART keeps being floated.
I grew up in the bay area riding bart, loved it. Last time I rode it was a year and half ago because safety seemed to be not so strong anymore... has it improved?
@@videosuperhero100 when I started riding as a kid in the 90s the feeling on BART was very similar to today. There were good times and there were bad times. I think now any little incident can usually go viral and we’re just bombarded by it through various means of media. It just doesn’t feel that the safety is better or worse now but rather we’re just hyper-aware because of all the media we consume so it feels worse.
Thank you for this wonderful movie! As a young boy in the seventies, I was enchanted by Bart. As an adult, I've lived throughout the Bay Area, and every ride was a thrill. Always been a dream to see the view from the front of the train. Thank you again!
Like the author of this video, I was a teenager in San Jose who loved tried "escaping" on BART whenever I could. The BART trip, the bus ride to Fremont - these were the symbols of my independence, my ticket to adventure.
BART really is an extraordinary system. We need to relearn to love and venerate it the way we used to when it was first built. It was and still is a marvel of engineering. And the fact that it was built at all with such insane coverage is just amazing. We did well, now we just need to do better.
This video is an instant Bay Area classic! Love you all all! Love the Bay! Now let's do more an better! That's what we do!
I moved to the Bay Area from the Chicago suburbs last September. I love BART.
I never learned how to drive so my option for getting to and from my college campus was the yellow line.
The trip would take an hour and a half, which may sound like a long time compared to driving, but I always preferred spending that time on the train getting assignments done and listening to podcasts. I felt like the system definitely gets taken for granted, because I don't know what I'd do if it didn't exist. It's simultaneously one of the most underappreciated and greatest transit systems in North America.
Yep, this! We've forgotten how exceptional and unlikely BART is. I have been travelling extensively and always viewed BART as somewhat of a cosmic anomaly. The fact that it even exists in this country, in this state is an incredible miracle. I hope more people understand and appreciate BART!
My fave Bart driver POV landscapes: 1) emerging from the tube in West Oakland and shooting up onto the elevated guideway. It's like the train is taking off into the air. 2) going through the big Grove Shafter interchange before MacArthur (580/980/24 freeways) 3) coming out of the tunnel before Orinda. You're in a bunch of trees.
Thank you Vincent! Bart operators get to experience the Stargate from 2001 every day going through the Transbay Tube. I will never take another trip on BART without thinking about your 'movie'!
This is fantastic
Never would I have thought someone would take something as nerdy as “slow TV” and real time train journeys and make into a cinematic experience. This is more than an operator filming his route. This feels different. Bravo!
Watched your interview on KTVU the other morning which got me interested in your documentary. I’ve been riding BART since the late 80s and this is the first time I’ve ever seen a head on view of the ride. I’ve seen many other train videos with head on views though. Glad you took the risk to make this because it’s so cool.
Great video!
I recently retired from 20 years as an engineer at BART and this brings back lots of memories. Often I would be talking on the radio helping with testing during the graveyard shift. I was really proud to be a part of the BART team, and to work on the low level hardware and software that directly helps the public.
I still love riding BART and the train plus a bicycle is my favorite way of getting around the Bay Area.
what a genius idea for a documentary. this was so beautiful and the interviews and music were such an engaging part of the whole thing. this should definitely be on netflix or on IMAX.
I knew a fellow who worked on building BART. He said that the lights in side the tunnels were a psychedelic light show. He was right. I'm so grateful I get to finally see what he was ecstatically talking about. Thank you!
I wish that BART were sufficiently self-aware and media-savvy to use that image as a publicity piece. It really looks amazing and no one has ever seen it outside of a tiny group of people! Many other systems would have that pattern on every other piece of media and printed on the trains.
Meanwhile, our elected BART Board is busy wasting $500k to not help a single homeless person find housing. The incompetence with them is just ridiculous.
what's the timestamp for the psychedelic light show?
As a transit enthusiast myself from the SF Bay Area, I truly love BART and this is a wonderful ride video!
BART is still wasted potential though…
@TiagoGomez-hb9te your just a hater
@TiagoGomez-hb9te you're just a hater
@TiagoGomez-hb9te without Bart it will be harder to travel the Bay Area by fast public transit, you are just hating.
Phenomenal BART documentary. Clever filming concept, fleshed out & brought to life with insightful commentaries & interviews. Bravo Mr. Woo!
The mysterious blinking incandescent lights have finally been revealed. Excellent creation and execution.
Didn't expect that San Francisco, an American city, had such an advanced metro network. Coming from Athens, which is renowned for having an advanced metro network, kudos!
Oh, this is just the tip of the iceberg. SF was built on rail. Every two blocks there was a rail line throughout the entire city. Cable cars were invented in SF and spread throughout the entire world. We had the first public city-owned rail system in the world. A lot of that was torn down but a lot has survived and we've brought back a ton that didn't. BART itself was the first fully automated metro system in the world and reaches speeds of up to 80 mph (128 km/h) in regular service.
If you're ever visiting SF, make sure to check out the SF Cable cars (the oldest in the world), the historic electric streetcars (rolling museum with historic trams from all over the world), the Muni Metro (modern light metro), BART, and Caltrain (urban commuter rail that will be able to reach 110 mph or 177 km/h)
Great video! I'd also be interested to listen to the full, no music no narration audio for this ride sometime, the snippets I can hear sound like a relaxing way to doze off.
lol I found this video at 4am cuz I’m looking for something exactly wat u described lol
6 years ago I spent the summer in the Bay Area. Shared a place with 4 other persons, but had the best time of my life. Almost every weekend I would make sure to travel somewhere in the city center and just explore, but there was one rare day when all of us visited the touristy places together. We rode BART on the way back, and the sunshine was just like what's in this video. Thank you for bringing that memory back.
Just echoing what everyone else has said - this was absolutely beautiful and I enjoyed every single minute of it. The footage, the music, the interviews, the map, the story - everything. Hats off to you!
Wow, I used that route back in 1993 and then 2016 to get to work in San Francisco and to see it from this angle was amazing. Thanks.
I actually had the same idea a few years ago when I got my new GoPro camera, to do this along with filming the BART with my drone. But never managed to actually to get the proper authorization, to go and do it. So, well done indeed ! And great work putting everything together nicely, along with the BART's map.
Sometimes it's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
@@derek20la yep, especially if your flamboyance causes an accident. Big brainzzzzzz.
@@z00h Name even 2 reasons how putting a GoPro on the front of a BART train could cause an accident. I'll wait...
@@derek20la someone sees it, knows it's unauthorized, jumps on the train to remove it and the operator doesn't hit the emergency brake in time, person falls in front of the train. This other one probably won't happen, but the GoPro falls off and shorts out the train or if on an elevated section, falls on someone's head. Many bullets get shot into the air, all it takes is the lucky winner to find out.
Unauthorized? Well this may be, but BART must really award you for promoting the beauty of the system, the importance of rapid transit and how fundamental it is for countries and cities to invest in heavy rail. I am a foreigner but I have heard that BART is facing some financial difficulties because of the continuous low ridership. Despite the fact that we have exited the pandemic's restrictions, it seems that people still choose to work from home.
BART is an amazing system, with its flaws, but I cannot stop loving the beautiful architecture of stations like e.g. Balboa Park and Glen Park and how it has helped S.F. to grow.
Exceptional one of a kind video. Who knows, maybe BART will be inspired by you and follow the CTA's example and film full videos of its own lines/routes.
Amazing documentary and I love the music. Thank you UA-cam for recommending
This is beautiful-I'm only 3 minutes in but I really like the short of Caltrain speeding ahead from Millbrae
was matching the sound design to the blinking light around 43:20 intentional???
I also really like that I caught Caltrain. That particular light was not synced to the audio, but other stuff is.
Awesome video! This Deserves a medal. Would be great to show at a film festival! Unfortunately we dont want to break any laws. But sometimes you just have to e to go for it!
Love this, even as a NYer. (Well, I did live in SF for three years, but only occasionally took BART because Civic Center was closer than 5th and King, and I often had to take Caltrain to Palo Alto where my corporate HQ was). Really annoyed me that BART and Caltrain didn't synchronize trains at Millbrae. Bay Area could absolutely work better to coordinate services between its systems.
I agree. If Caltrain went into downtown SF where BART has its most intense frequency, and if Caltrain electrified so it could run as frequently as BART, the whole Bay Area would feel so much easier to navigate. Riding from Berkeley to Palo Alto, Redwood City to Richmond, Hayward to Hillsdale could be as effortless as going from Balboa Park to Bayfair today. It's maddening/exhilarating. Caltrain's electrification and extension to the Salesforce Transit Center seem so close...but then again they're still 6 or 7 long years away.
@@peteralbert1485 Well, electrification is a thing, so that's something.
@@GregCostikyan-t1u Exactly. I remember the days when I had to get off BART at Colma and transfer to a bus that finished to last few miles on the crowded freeway to get to SFO. I thought it would be a game-changer when BART finally went into SFO. And it has been, it's a connection I never take for granted. It reminds me that some progress might feel like small steps, but other times it feels like the huge leap forward we needed.
As someone from the Bay, this is cool af
Brilliantly done. I have a greater appreciation for BART and it’s employees. Thank you for this.
Just want to say how inspiring this is, I regularly film BART from the air (drone) and they use a lot of my footage on their social media but when I've requested to ride and film with them I was told they strictly forbid it. The way you went about this was the best approach, crafty and thoughtful with such a beautiful outcome. So kudos to you for thinking outside of the box. I don't see you on IG but if there's an account for your work I would love to follow.
I'm @abdesius on IG but don't really post there - I would love to see some of your BART drone shots.
Please release a zen version with no dialogue as well. Thanks!
Great job Vincent! I rode BART many years and the bayarea was home for more than 20 years. It drives me to tears to ride the bart again with you, from sfo to Pittsburgh bay point, sitting in my Hawaii backyard.
Hey, don't worry, Honolulu is building a trains that is basically just modernized BART. The HART planners literally said that they wanted to build something like BART and they did! So at least now you'll have something extremely similar to a modern BART right there in Hawaii!
I'm from SoCal and have ridden BART a couple of times. This journey was SOOOO amazing. Was it the narration? The Video? But it's a view that no-one, except the conductor, ever sees. Thank you for this "vacation"!!!
I’ve always been very public-transit-pilled. Recently moved to SF from a very hostile public transit environment (TX), and this video really encapsulates my appreciation for BART in such a beautiful way. Learned a lot about the miraculous beginnings of BART. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for cluing me into this Vincent and I appreciate our many chats, even the super technical heavy ones! I look forward to helping you secure footage of future rides. This was an amazing film!
This is really cool. I just spent two weeks in San Francisco and fell in love with the city and both the BART and MUNI systems played a big role in that. Great film and interviews. Thanks for sharing!
Public transportation gets a bad rap, but Muni is seriously underrated
I love this! Having a phone interview with someone who worked on and or with BART, while showing this travel footage is fantastic!
The experience is really thought provoking. We see all the infrastructure in its various states, mostly good, but obviously used, and the conversation seems more immersion than just watching it with some music alone would be. It is as if we are in the front cab with the operator? Engineer? Driver?
I do wonder what BART would call that staff...
And the travel times! It is fast. Unexpectedly fast.
Nice work! It deserves recognition.
The Transbay tube exit sequence starting at 36:00 was incredible! Gave me goosebumps - so cool!
This has to be one of the coolest videos I've seen about BART! I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this!
This is the problem Miami is facing now. We have a few systems, but we have not expanded them in many years. And it's come to the point where we can no longer live without it.
Miami’s Subway system has always been too short
This is beautiful, I got chills all throughout the entire video seeing the bay area in this perspective. I thank you for doing this.
Oh my god this was an amazing trip! I used to live in San Bruno and moved out to Oakley, so I knew the exact spot the train was. Also, I’ve only rode the Bart a few times in the 24 years I lived in the Bay Area, but still thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this journey from start to finish, along with the chillax background music with Minecraft vibes…loved it!
At first, I thought that you should’ve timelapsed the video, but glad you kept it real time. Also appreciated the narratives and the history of this wonderful system hundreds of thousands of people take for granted in the Bay Area.
I’m also grateful the driver didn’t call in the device you stuck on the front of his train! Thanks for sharing this!
I recorded the SFO northbound segment from inside and it opens my video Bart Everlasting. I have rewatched it many times, mentally comparing it to many line segments I have visited around the world. The symphony and vitality of that run is mesmerizing and beyond compare. Very excited to get to see what you did here, thank you.
Fam!!!! This is effing spectacular!!! Not only did you capture the DREAM angle and footage that every single BART rider has only imagined, you got some super insightful interviews?!?! This is so so so great!!!
@ Vincent Woo: You've done a beautiful job of showing off BART in a way its regular riders haven't (until now) been able to experience. I likewise love your narration and interviews with people both red-blooded and virtual! Clearly you have great affection and admiration for the amazing system which barely squeaked through that tiny port hole window of opportunity you've so ably described. A total "Bravo!" to you for putting together this remarkable testament to human creativity and persistence in the face of adversity!
BART was always there when I needed it. I miss so much about the Bay. Best times in my life