The Bay Area Rapid Transit system will adjust their train schedule on Jan. 13 as they switch to a modern train control system and coordinate with other transit agencies for smoother service, according to an agency press release.

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Alicia Trost, chief communication officer of BART, advised people who rely on public transportation to check the times of the trains they normally take for changes to avoid being surprised by the new schedule.

“People get really used to their schedule,” Trost said. “They know that their train comes at the exact minute, and sometimes those minutes shift when we update the schedule.”

The change comes as numerous Bay Area transit agencies are syncing schedules to improve transfers between systems, a move known as the Big Synch. This aims to ensure less waiting and easier, more seamless transfers between services, Trost said.

Transit agencies in the Bay Area are aligning their schedule with each other twice a year, once in mid-August and once in mid-January. BART stated in a press release that the number of transit agencies with full schedule change alignment increased from four to 19 since 2022.

“More and more agencies are now updating their schedules at the same exact time, which is great for the rider; that way, there aren’t constant changes,” Trost said. “The idea is to get all of the changes at the same time, so riders can understand the impact on their journey, especially those that have to take more than one agency.”

BART also announced that they would be switching to a modern communications-based control system. Currently, BART runs trains on a fixed block system, which means only one train can be on a section of track at a time. The aging system needed to be replaced because it was kept the same since BART first opened service over 50 years ago. This has led to trains slowing down or stopping even though they are not near a station.

A communications-based system would mean that the trains are “constantly communicating with each other” and the master computer, Trost said, allowing BART to run more trains more frequently instead of worrying about specific blocks within the tracks’ circuitry.

Trost said that the upgrade would improve service, specifically through the Transbay Tube and around the Oakland Wye junction, which tends to be a chokepoint for the transit system. With the new controls, BART is planning to be able to run 28 trains per hour in each direction through the Transbay Tube in 2030 and up to 30 trains per hour in 2032. Currently, 24 trains can run per hour per direction.

The first section of track to be updated is between Millbrae and Colma. Yellow Line service is planned to end at San Francisco International Airport instead of Millbrae due to construction crews working nightly after 9 p.m. to upgrade the train control system.

After 9 p.m., a train will run every 15 minutes between Millbrae station and SFO and riders will be able to transfer platforms at SFO to board a Yellow Line train to finish their trip. Two of the four trains each hour will also be timed with Caltrain’s 30-minute service schedule to allow riders at Millbrae to transfer between Caltrain and BART. At SFO, riders heading to Millbrae can cross the platform to a train labeled as a Yellow Line train to Millbrae.

After midnight, riders will not need to transfer for Millbrae service because the final four Yellow Line trains to SFO station will proceed to Millbrae. The final train of the night will bypass SFO and go directly to Millbrae, as listed in the current schedule.

Trost said that this schedule will be in place for several years and there is no projected stop time to the construction yet.