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Originally Posted by Pedestrian
But I don't know why you'd have to transfer on BART going from Walnut Creek to Caltrain. Yes, if you choose to take Muni from Embarcadero BART to the Caltrain station you would have to transfer systems. But I used to commute to Concord from Civic Center BART in around an hour each morning and afternoon--far less time than driving considering the crowded freways.
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I guess that was a bad hypothetical. Perhaps a more applicable, common type of commute would be from suburban Walnut creek to Mission Rock requiring a transfer onto Muni. I mean, realistically, how many people live right on top of Concord BART such that they don't have to spend 10-15 mins or more simply getting to the BART station? Additionally to this, how common the a one-seat ride you seem to describe, whereafter one disembarks and walks across the street to their office?
American pub trans is built with this false conception that TODs can capture or even make a dent in ridership. It's the regional built environment and regional mobility that matter - by and large most people clogging up freeways and roads live 2-4 miles from any BART station in the burbs - still a short distance.
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Originally Posted by Pedestrian
[Sorry you find the system problematic but realistically the delay imposed by station stops, the elimination of which is all you'd gain with "express" trains, is probably minimal. And 4-tracking any part of the system, given the elevated and underground tracks, would be horrendously expensive. Also, the suburban counties that have been paying for BART for decades are more interested in extending the lines than in running "express" services.
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There are many above-ground stations where 4-tracking could occur. Consider Orinda or Lafayette for example. How many stations along Daly City Line are above ground, and expandable? BART already runs "limiteds" in reverse commute going outbounds by skipping the aformentioned stations, so clearly the time-savings is not for naught for BART to already be implementing it in reverse. Even 8-10 mins saved on any extended BART corridor could render surburban reaches mentioned above in play. The reason we clog up freeways is the ostensible reason BART was built as a hybrid commuter-urban system - people further out need to get into the city; its not just about berkeley/oakland/millbrae. Shouldn't we treat it as the system it was built to be - a commuter-metro hybrid?