Cheers to our engineers! BART celebrates Engineers Week 2023

Roll with Us: BART is currently hiring engineers in a variety of disciplines. Visit bart.gov/jobs to learn more and apply!

A trio of engineers walk along the BART tracks at night.

BART is home to hundreds of specialized engineers, all of whom play an integral role in keeping our riders safe and on-the-move. These dedicated employees work at the cutting-edge of technology, where technical prowess meets innovation and a massive dose of creativity.

“We never slow down,” said Qing Liu, Principal Structural Engineer. “Every day you may encounter a new challenge. It keeps us excited and busy!”

BART’s engineers are an agile group who encompass an incredible variety of disciplines – from structures and traction power to computer systems and data (and everything in between). One group may write the code that monitors and control the trains. Another may be tasked with setting and maintaining the “thermostat” throughout the system. And yet another might design the structural support of the crucial cable replacement that powers the trains with improved seismic safety and reliability. No matter the discipline, one thing is certain: BART engineers are a hardworking bunch.“

"I’m constantly impressed with the BART engineering staff,” said General Manager Robert Powers, a licensed Professional Engineer himself.

Since 1951, the National Society of Professional Engineers has celebrated the nation’s engineers with a dedicated week. During Engineers Week 2023, which runs from Feb. 19 to Feb. 25, BART applauds its engineers and the incredible work they do to maintain and upgrade our 50-year-old system.

This year, BART Communications spoke with five engineers from around the system. The engineers expressed immense pride in their jobs and spoke with deep enthusiasm about their projects.

Qing Liu, Principal Structural Engineer, is pictured above at 19th St./Oakland Station.

Take Liu, who started at BART seven years ago. He said he works on an impressive “variety of exciting projects that cover the spectrum of engineering.”

“Even from the structural engineering perspective, it’s diverse,” Liu said. “We have maintenance facilities, passenger stations, bridges, tunnels, traction power substations, and more. We work on everything!”

At BART, structural engineers like Liu “work with everybody,” from mechanical and electrical engineers to traction power and in-house maintenance force. The spirit of collaboration is all in service of a unified goal: keep the system running well and devise solutions to continuously improve it.

Mieko McCue, Principal Construction Engineer, is pictured above at 19th St./Oakland Station.

For Principal Construction Engineer Mieko McCue, the joy in collaboration is watching projects grow from ideas to reality.

“I’m a very visual person, so to see things from design to construction has always been a passion for me,” she said. “That’s absolutely my favorite part.”

McCue exemplifies the agility of BART engineers. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked to help coordinate the design of the digital advertising screens on the walls of downtown San Francisco stations. When the project, which has since been completed, went on hold at the onset of the pandemic, McCue was reassigned to oversee the replacement of traction power cables (the cables that power the third rail) on two lines.

‘BART is a great place to get a taste of all the different aspects of a public agency,” McCue said. “There are all sorts of niches you may find yourself in.”

Lanfang Liu, Acting Principal Mechanical Engineer, is pictured above at 19th St./Oakland Station.

What makes Lanfang Liu, Acting Principal Mechanical Engineer, excited to come to work each day?

“I’m really proud to provide a safe, comfortable environment for our riders, as well as our essential equipment,” she said.

Liu is somewhat like the temperature sorcerer of BART. She manages the system’s HVAC projects – heating, ventilation, and air conditioning – which are essential to keeping riders and workers comfortable across the system while also protecting equipment.

Liu said her role is facing new challenges as climate change alters weather and temperature patterns across the world. Despite these obstacles, she feels “lucky” to have an impressive maintenance team to support her work.  

“We work together to come up with new solutions and new designs,” she said proudly.

Armen Chouldjian, Senior Computer Systems Engineer, is pictured above at 19th St./Oakland Station.

“Working together” has a rather personal meaning to Senior Computer Systems Engineer Armen Chouldjian, who started at BART as an intern with BART’s Summer Internship Engineering Program. Chouldjian’s brother, Sarkis Chouldjian, is also an engineer at BART. The Chouldjians work in Systems and Data Informatics Engineering Group.

Their group is responsible for managing the automatic train supervision system, passenger information, SCADA control systems, data analytics, fare collection engineering, and more. The code for the systems are written in-house – a point of pride for Armen Chouldjian.  

“Our department really likes to use open source code and write things ourselves,” he said. “That’s one of the things that makes our group unique and a good place to work.”

Javan Bryant, Acting Principal Electrical Engineer, is pictured above at 19th St./Oakland Station.

Javan Bryant, Acting Principal Engineer - Electrical, is somewhat of a “fixer” around BART.

“I get the tricky problems,” he said. “And I solve them.”

Bryant recently created a lab to rigorously test the systems that provide critical power for lighting and train control.

“I’ve built a facility where we can test and verify these assemblies before they go into the field,” he said. “That way, we can catch problems before they’re out in the system. We are also pushing ahead with remote monitoring programs that will allow us to be more proactive in replacing assets before they fail. This will always be less expensive than responding to emergencies.”

All in all, Bryant said problem solving is his bread and butter: “There have been so many issues we’ve solved over the last several years,” he said. “It’s part of the joy in working at BART.”

BART currently has multiple job postings for engineer roles, as well as a robust Summer Engineering Internship Program for students. Learn more by visiting bart.gov/jobs.