BART
The latest numbers from BART’s Police Department (PD) show that through the end of August overall crime was down 15% from the prior-year period across the system, which spans five counties and includes 50 stations with 131 route miles of track, the transit agency reported Oct. 9 (see report above). The trend includes a 10% drop in violent crime.
The decline in the crime rate comes as BART has been experiencing an increase in ridership, the agency said. All BART’s top-10 post-pandemic ridership days were in September, driven by special events including the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco and the final Oakland A’s homestand.
Additional safety highlights include:
- “Only 12 electronic thefts and robberies were reported across the entire system in August. That’s the lowest total for any month since 2021 when ridership was much lower than today.
- “BART PD reported 13,016 total enforcement contacts through August, up from 7,791 for the same period in 2023.
- “BART PD’s response time for Priority 1 emergencies averaged 4 minutes and 25 seconds in August, among the fastest for any law enforcement agency in the Bay Area.”
“The drop in criminal activity on BART is happening as we have been going all out to implement our Safe and Clean Plan,” BART General Manager Bob Powers said in reference to the agency’s commitment to boost rider safety and provide clean service. “Our riders have been loud and clear that they want us to step our game up when it comes to their safety and the cleanliness of our system. We have more work to do on behalf of our riders, but these numbers indicate our commitment to maximizing our visible safety presence is paying off.”
“Since I became BART Police Chief one year ago, it has been my top priority to maximize the number of officers walking trains and patrolling our stations,” Kevin Franklin said. “Our officers are more visible than ever. Their efforts are containing relatively small concerns before they grow into big problems that harm service.”
BART reported that it has stepped up safety efforts, including sworn officers, non-sworn Crisis Intervention Specialists, and Transit Ambassadors, as well as implementing Next Generation Fare Gates, which have now been installed at seven stations. All 50 of BART’s stations will have these gates by the end of 2025.
LACMTA
LACMTA reached a milestone in September, averaging more than one million weekday riders for the first time since before the pandemic, the transit agency reported Oct. 11. September was the 22nd consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth, it added.
LACMTA’s combined rail and bus ridership last month reached 86.4% of its September 2019 pre-pandemic ridership level, which the agency said exceeds the nationwide transit ridership average of 76% of pre-pandemic levels. Average weekday boardings on LACMTA reached 83.6% of September 2019 pre-pandemic levels and 96.6% of the pre-pandemic level on weekends.
Rail boardings grew by nearly 10% in September 2024 over September 2023, and LACMTA’s rail ridership now stands at 85.1% of its September 2019 pre-pandemic level, according to the transit agency. Weekday rail boardings grew by 11.7% year-over-year, while weekend rail ridership grew 4.81% year-over-year. Weekend rail ridership in September now stands at 99.4% of its September 2019 pre-pandemic ridership levels, the transit agency said. LACMTA’s light rail system drove September’s ridership growth. Ridership on the A Line was up 16.2% year-over-year, while ridership on the E Line grew 18% year-over-year. Ridership on the C Line increased 10.7%, while ridership on the K Line was up 4.1%.
On the bus side, LACMTA had 20,912,410 trips in September, marking a 6.9% ridership increase compared with the same month last year. Average weekday bus ridership was 804,279 in September, the highest bus ridership LACMTA said it has seen since February 2020. On average, 534,373 trips were taken on LACMTA buses on Saturdays in September, while an average of 448,223 trips were taken on Sundays. September’s weekend bus ridership now stands at 96.3% of its September 2019 pre-pandemic level, according to the transit agency. Ridership on LACMTA’s two Bus Rapid Transit lines also increased in September. Ridership on the J Line, which runs on dedicated lanes on the 10 and 110 freeways from El Monte to San Pedro, rose 8.3% in September 2024 compared with the same month last year, the transit agency said. Weekend ridership on the J Line exceeded its September 2019 pre-pandemic level by 6.4% in September. Ridership on the G Line, which serves the San Fernando Valley, rose by 3.4%.
“Leisure riders continue to be a driver of overall ridership growth, especially on the weekends,” LACMTA reported. “In September, weekend rail ridership reached 99.4% of its pre-pandemic level with weekend bus boardings reaching 96.3% of pre-pandemic September 2019 weekend ridership levels.”
Also in September, LACMTA’s GoPass Program, which provides a free transit pass to K-14 students at participating schools, had 1,666,405 boardings, a 3% increase over September 2023, which saw 1,610,215 students boarding, according to the transit agency. LACMTA added that September’s GoPass boardings marked a 77.7% month-over-month increase over August as students headed back to school.
“Thanks to the more than 12,000 dedicated public servants who work hard, day and night, rain or shine, Metro [LACMTA] is recovering faster than almost any large transit agency in America,” LACMTA CEO Stephanie Wiggins said. “This 1 million-weekday-rider milestone is a testament to the enormous effort we’ve undertaken to make our system cleaner, safer, easier, more comfortable and more reliable for all the Angelenos who rely on us every day.”
MDOT
MDOT on Oct. 10 reported a new strategy in partnership with the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO) to spur development along the MARC Penn Line, the commuter railroad’s busiest line, which runs between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Md. The Penn Line Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Strategy Plan (download below) “provides a blueprint for unlocking economic opportunities at six train stops in the corridor with potential to create thousands of new jobs and yield more than $800 million in tax revenue for the state over three decades,” MDOT said. Other projected benefits: up to 546,000 additional annual MARC trips and at least 2,600 new housing units that would help address the state’s housing shortage.
The plan was developed with input from the local jurisdictions, the Maryland Transit Administration, the Maryland Aviation Administration and State Highway Administration. It presents market insight and recommendations for the development of 170 acres of undeveloped state-owned land around the Seabrook, Bowie State, Odenton, BWI Airport, Halethorpe and West Baltimore stations. Longer-term opportunities are also identified at the four stations north of Baltimore Penn Station: Martin Airport, Edgewood, Aberdeen, and Perryville.
Under the plan, Odenton and Bowie State are identified as initial priority stations for development. MDOT said it is already working with partners at both locations to facilitate joint development. The MDOT Office of Real Estate and Economic Development is slated to release a public development solicitation opportunity at the Odenton MARC Station later this fall. The plan envisions the addition of a mixed-use development at Odenton, with more than 900 new housing units, 1,360 new jobs, $270 million in state and local tax revenue, and upwards of 117,000 new annual MARC trips at the station. “This work would build on recent development of multifamily and mixed-use construction near Odenton Station, which is home to single-family home neighborhoods, retail and Fort Meade,” MDOT reported.
The MDOT Office of Real Estate and Economic Development is also working in coordination with public partners around the Bowie State University MARC station. “[T]he vision calls for a partnership with Prince George’s County and Bowie State University for an expansion of the University campus and potential growth on the west side of the train tracks,” MDOT reported. “Additional redevelopment of land primarily owned by the MDOT can yield more than 400 housing units and $108 million in state and local tax revenue, while adding up to 42,000 annual MARC trips.”
“This strategic plan will not only help improve transit connectivity but will also lead to the creation of new jobs and more affordable housing options,” Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld said. “The Penn Line is a critical asset to the region. The undeveloped land around its core stations presents a prime opportunity for equitable and inclusive development that will yield numerous economic benefits to the region in decades to come.”
