BART has several types of revenue vehicles. In all, there are 137 A-Cars, 303 B-Cars, 150 C-Cars and 80 C2-Cars in the fleet.
A-cars
A-cars have a fiberglass operator's cab, automatic train operating equipment, and two-way communications system. The A-Car seats 72 customers comfortably and carries up to 150 customers in a crush load.B-cars
B-cars are located in the middle of the train, do not have a cab nor do they control the operation of the train. They can, however, carry the same customer load as an A-Car.C-cars
C-cars are equipped with an operator's compartment, automatic train operating equipment and communications system, as in the A-Car, and can function as a lead, middle or trailing car. They allow flexibility to change train size without rerouting to a storage yard. Seating capacity is 64 but 150 customer can be carried in a crush load.C2-cars
C2-cars which look and operate like their predecessor, represent the third generation of BART cars. The new cars have a blue and gray motif, seat four more passengers per car than the C-Car, and have flip-up seats and vertical handrails on every other seat. The flip-up seats, which are near each set of doors, were added to allow room for wheelchairs and customers with bicycles. Blinking red lights near the doors warn hearing-impaired riders that the doors are about to close. Seating capacity is 68 but 150 customers can be carried in a crush load.
The number and kinds of cars that constitute a train varies, but an A- or C-Car must be at each end of the train to provide the necessary automatic control equipment. The smallest BART trains are three cars long, while the longest are ten. At BART, a train is sometimes called a "consist", and the two terms are used interchangeably.
Cars receive 1000 volts of DC power from the third rail through "collector shoes". Each car has four shoes--two on each side near the front and rear wheels. The collector shoe protrudes from the car side and slides along the third rail. Since the four shoes are electrically connected, if one shoe is touching the third rail, then the other three shoes are powered too. Extreme caution around shoes is recommended.
Access to the underside of the cars is difficult because of inadequate clearance between the equipment and the running rails. The electrical hazard posed by the third rail and collector shoes also make entry to the underside inadvisable. Located under each car are the air conditioning equipment and ducting, motor alternator or static inverter, auxiliary electrical box, battery box, motor control box, and semiconductor box.
Exterior
Brushed aluminum finish with blue striping and BART insignia.
Floors
Wall-to-wall, rust colored, 100 percent wool carpeting. Wide, 30-inch aisles.
Seats
Seats are cantilevered to offer maximum leg and luggage space, and to provide for ease of maintenance. Seat cushions are made of fire-resistant, low-smoke neoprene with covers made of 90 percent wool and 10 percent nylon.
Windows
Panoramic view. Tinted and heat reflecting glass. The operator cab windshield is a high-impact glass similar to that used on commercial aircraft.
Propulsion
Four 150-HP, air-cooled electric traction motors - one per axle. Tractive energy is furnished via the third rail operating at 1000 volts DC. Tractive effort, propulsion and braking is supplied by DC series motors controlled by a powerful semiconductor. A hydraulic disc brake system operating on all wheels controls mechanical braking which is automatically blended with the electric brake system. Each car is equipped with an auxiliary electrical system operating at 120/208V AC 60 hz, supplied by a rotary alternator on A-and B-Cars and a static inverter on C-Cars. Battery and battery chargers provide emergency power for lights, communication, and control equipment.
Communication
VHF two-way radio telephone in cab. Announcements to cars can be made by Central Control at BART headquarters or the train operator. Intercoms to allow customer to call the operator are located at each end of the car and labeled "attendant call" (A- and B-Car) or "Operator" (C-Car).
