Modern lights being tested on BART train

SAN FRANCISCO —

Reading the newspaper on BART trains may become a little easier as soon as the transit agency tests new, brighter lighting fixtures that can adjust automatically based on need.

The transit agency is currently testing light-emitting diode bulbs in one of its 669 train cars, with hopes of one day having all cars lit with the modern, energy-saving lighting, spokesman Linton Johnson said.

Currently, lighting being used on cars has been around since BART began service in 1972. LED technology can save up to 50 percent in energy costs and is noticeably brighter, Johnson said.

"Customers have told us they like that cool, white appearance of the lighting," Glenn Dodo, principal engineer, said in a statement. "When you walk into the car it wakes you up in the morning."

The car testing the new lights — No. 1738 — also contains some of the older lighting so riders can see the difference, he said.

"We are in the see-what’s-out-there and evaluation stage," Dodo said. "We plan to test other LED light designs as they become available."

The LED technology costs between $5,000 and $6,000 per car, according to estimates from 2008, he said.

There is no set date to roll out new lighting, and no funding source has been identified, Johnson said. The cash-strapped transit agency said it’s facing a $300 million operating-budget shortfall during the next five years.