Join a group BART speedrun on September 6 to celebrate BART’s birthday

The big BART Transit Month speedrun is back!

On Sunday, September 6, speedrunners will race to all 50 BART stations to celebrate BART's 54th birthday and California Speedrun Day, hosted in partnership with the California High School Transit Alliance and the New Urbanism Initiative. Seventy people turned out for last year's speedrun - the largest group to speedrun any transit agency (that organizers are aware of) - and they're hoping to outdo that number this year.

The day begins at Berryessa/North San Jose Station, where participants will catch a 10:37am Orange Line train. From there, speedrunning pros will lead the group through every BART station as quickly as possible, with BART representatives joining along the way. During the trip, participants can test their BART knowledge with trivia about different stretches of track and compete for transit-themed prizes.

The run should take about six hours. Join for the full ride or hop on and off along the way. No prior speedrunning experience required!

If the group misses a transfer, they'll let folks know at the top of the schedule document and on social media (follow CalHSTA on Instagram and Bluesky).

What's speedrunning?

The challenge is to visit every BART station in as little time as possible. That means 50 stations and 131 miles of track while making connections, timing transfers, and navigating the system as efficiently as possible.

It's a fast-paced way to see the Bay Area, made all the more fun by traveling with a group of transit enthusiasts. BART is a massive system that covers a huge swath of the region; when you travel all 131 miles of BART trackway in six hours, you get an exhilarating sense of the patchwork of places, climates, and people that make up the region.

"I love seeing everyone show up to speedrun BART, people of all ages, backgrounds, and locations in the Bay Area," said Harvy Chang, organizer and BART speedrunning pro. "Fun community events like large speedruns can motivate the public to ride transit and help us move toward a more sustainable future with fewer cars and more environmentally friendly transportation."

Speedrunning has become a popular pastime among transit enthusiasts around the world, and BART has a dedicated webpage for records. Our site inspired transit fans to start transitruns.org to provide a worldwide centralized website to compile leaderboards.

BART has been a destination for speedrunners for over a decade. More than 25 speedrun attempts have been made on BART since 2012 (that BART knows about). We've also spotlighted some of our most prolific speedrunners in a podcast. The current BART speedrun record is 5 hours, 9 minutes, and 35 seconds from October 2024. The current Guinness World Record is 5 hours, 47 minutes, and 42 seconds from March 2024.

Details

When: Sunday, September 14, 10:37am train departs (arrive early so you don't miss it)

Where: Meet at Berryessa/North San Jose Station (on the lower level past the fare gates). Full schedule here.

RSVP here. It's not required but will help get a headcount.

BART fare: Make sure you have $12.15 on your Clipper card, not including your BART ride to Berryessa and your ride home, or pay for your trip with Tap and Ride. Bring a water bottle and use the restroom beforehand.

CalHSTA social media: Instagram (@calhstatransit) and Bluesky (@calhstatransit.org)

Celebrate Transit Month

The group speedrun is part of Transit Month, when communities across the Bay Area celebrate public transportation with events and activities throughout the region. Learn more here.