How does the bart train work? what is it powered by?

Question

How does the bart train work? what is it powered by?

Answer 1

The Bart system is all computer controlled as far as how it operates.The is a person in the control cab but they are mostly just there as a safety measure.The computer system actually runs the train.Bart is a straight electricity train powered by a electrified 3rd rail

Answer 2

It's electric!

The train moves because there are huge electric motors driving it.  They're mounted in between the wheels.  Here's a picture from an older car but it's exactly the same idea.

http://www.oerm.org/pages/717_rolling_ou...

Where does the electricity come from?  It's called a "third rail".   It's got 900 volts DC electricity on it at about 4000 "amps".  Just for comparison your hair dryer is 110 volts AC and about 12 amps.

The speed of the train is controlled with electronics. They turn on and off very fast, to control how much power goes to the motors. They make a humming sound you can often hear.

Where does the power come from?  Same place as the power to run your house.  Generators all over California, including a big hydroelectric plant in Yosemite, and a wind farm near Suisun City, CA.

You've heard of Thomas Edison, he recommended DC power (like the BART train uses).  But a man named Nikola Tesla disagreed - he said AC power was the better idea.  And he was right, that's what we all use today.   Except for BART and other electric transit systems.   They have substations which plug into the AC power grid, and convert the power to DC for the trains. You can see the substations around, they are small metal buildings with no windows usually painted gray.