Ich Hasse Das BART

mit Herr Misfit

Now that I have a historian nemesis (see metalfacelaw on Thursday 5 May), I have to figure out what exactly will be expected of me. Apparently, it involves boiling venemous rage, something I have tried to live my life without, at least since high school. There are times, however, in which I just can't hold the venom back any longer. Let me tell you about one.

In order to get home on Monday morning from a weekend in the East Bay, I needed to take the BART to Millbrae and transfer to the Caltrain. Sunday evening, I carefully looked over the BART and Caltrain schedules, to make sure that I wouldn't miss the connection. I woke up this Monday at 7:15 to make a 7:58 BART departure. Due to some quick packing and fast walking, I made the BART at 7:46, a full 12 minutes early. Two minutes later I caught a train. Five or six minutes later, I transferred to a Millbrae train. Everything was going according to (or better than) the plan. It was at this point that things began to head south.

Three stops into the city, my SFO/Millbrae train changed its mind and became a Daly City train, quitting a full five stops before I needed to get off. I know, you'll probably say to yourself that I just made a mistake and got on the wrong train. No way. Absolutely no way. I checked the train before getting on, and heard the conductor distinctly say "SFO/Millbrae train" half a dozen times before he pulled a fast one on me.

At this point, I had to get off and wait for the next Millbrae train. This took 10 minutes, during which no fewer than 2 empty Daly City trains came through. Once I got on the Millbrae train, it parked itself about 100 yards out of the station and sat still for no apparent reason for an additional 5 minutes not once, not twice, but thrice in the five stops between where I got on and where I got off. Factor in another five minutes wasted sitting at the airport, and this stupid train cost me a full half an hour in travel time.

Keep in mind, my original plan gave me a full 15 minutes of leeway to make the Caltrain. Not only that, but getting to the BART 10 minutes early ought