When BART was built in the 60s/70s it was innovative. The construction techniques for the Transbay Tube were unique at the time. The system was billed as a transit system built from the ground up for the space age. It was equipped with, at the time, a state of the art Automation Train Control system.
Upgrading those systems is expensive and difficult, so it's not surprising old prices of equipment hung around until the end of their useful life. Especially since BART is going through a massive budget crisis at the moment (and this isn't the only one in its history).
Upgrading those systems is expensive and difficult, so it's not surprising old prices of equipment hung around until the end of their useful life. Especially since BART is going through a massive budget crisis at the moment (and this isn't the only one in its history).