By Bay City News Service
People in the Bay Area who don't want to drive on New Year's Eve can travel on BART until 3 a.m., transit officials said.
BART normally operates until midnight, but the transit agency said it is extending its hours on New Year's Eve to help people get home from their festivities.
BART officials said they also will have about 100 employees in yellow vests standing by at station entrances and platforms to help direct passengers to the appropriate stations.
The agency said extra station agents will be on hand at downtown stations to help customers and BART police, train technicians, ticket machine technicians, emergency medical technicians, system service workers, and elevator and escalator repair technicians will be strategically placed to help respond to problems.
In addition, deputies from the sheriff's departments in San Francisco and Alameda counties will supplement BART police, BART officials said.
The agency said it will run additional trains into and out of San Francisco on New Year's Eve in addition to the normal weekday evening service, which calls for trains every 20 minutes.
BART said the extra service is designed to ease the crowding at the Embarcadero and Montgomery Street stations that results from the large number of people expected to attend the fireworks show in downtown San Francisco.
To further ease crowding at these stations, beginning at 8 p.m., BART said it will utilize a "skip-stop" train pattern into and out of San Francisco just as it has in past years.
The pattern calls for trains on the Pittsburg/Bay Point and Richmond lines heading into San Francisco not to stop at the Embarcadero station.
The San Francisco stop closest to the fireworks show for customers on the Pittsburg/Bay Point and Richmond lines will be Montgomery Street.
Trains on the Dublin/Pleasanton and Fremont lines will stop at the Embarcadero station but not at Montgomery Street.
Trains from Millbrae and Daly City will make all stops in San Francisco.
BART said that after the fireworks end, passengers boarding trains bound for Pittsburg/Bay Point and Richmond must use the Montgomery Street station.
Trains on the Pittsburg/Bay Point and Richmond lines will not stop at the Embarcadero station on their way out of San Francisco.
Passengers boarding trains on the Dublin/ Pleasanton and Fremont lines must use the Embarcadero station, as trains heading to Dublin/Pleasanton and Fremont will not stop at the Montgomery Street station.
Millbrae and Daly City-bound trains will make all stops, but BART recommends passengers on those lines use the Montgomery Street station.
BART said additional event trains will be standing by to carry riders home during the busiest time when the fireworks end.
On New Year's Day, BART will operate on a holiday/Sunday timetable with service beginning at 8 a.m.
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