Should BART Extend to Pinole and Hercules?

A newly elected BART board member is stirring up conversation on an issue that could ease commuting for Pinole and Hercules residents: extending service north to these cities.

District 7 Board Member Zakhary Mallett told the Contra Costa Times that the transit service should grow its lines past Richmond, and said it's the place that needs it the most but hasn't been extended.

The Times reports:

He said El Cerrito Del Norte is the most congested regional transfer station in the BART system. Another statistic he likes to cite: Nearly 60 percent of the ridership at El Cerrito Del Norte consists of commuters who reside north of El Cerrito and Richmond.

"The likelihood of someone using transit is in part a function of how far they must travel to access transit," Mallett said.

The idea was a big part of Mallett's successful November campaign, and commenters on this site have brought up the idea in the past.

Mallett said he just wants to start a conversation about the possibility–no one has estimated the cost or process to bring BART to Pinole or Hercules.

What do you think? Is it high time BART trains stopped in Pinole or Hercules? Would it make you more likely to ride BART? Tell us in the comments section below.

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