BART's Transbay Tube Celebrates 50 Years with Completed Seismic Retrofit

The $1.5 billion project ensures the tube's resilience against major earthquakes for decades to come.

The Transbay Tube, connecting Oakland and San Francisco, opened on September 16, 1974 and is now celebrating its 50th anniversary.
A seismic retrofit project costing $1.5 billion has been completed to strengthen the tube and the rest of the BART system against major earthquakes.
The retrofit included the installation of steel plates, enhanced pumping systems, and modified seismic joints to handle significant seismic activity.
BART officials announced that the tube can now withstand the strongest expected earthquake in 1,000 years, ensuring passenger safety and operational continuity.
The project, which began in 2019, required partial shutdowns and significant labor contributions, marking a major engineering achievement for the Bay Area.