After decades of planning, lobbying and dreaming — not to mention two tax measures and two years of delays — BART will finally start running trains to Silicon Valley on Saturday, with the opening of new stations in Milpitas and north San Jose.

But the celebration will be a subdued one, coming in the midst of a global pandemic that has plunged BART into one of the most tumultuous chapters of its history, chasing away more than 90 percent of riders and creating a grim long-term outlook for their eventual return.

There will still be a ribbon cutting — one at each station, in fact, on Friday morning, live-streamed online for all but the select few who are allowed to attend.

When the first northbound train rolls out of Berryessa station just before 8 a.m. Saturday, by law its only passengers are supposed to be those traveling to work or taking essential trips.

And this grand opening is far from the finish line for BART’s extension into Silicon Valley. The 10-mile, $2.3 billion project is the first phase in a two-part project planned to ultimately bring BART through downtown San Jose and on to Santa Clara.

Still, the opening of the project’s first phase is a momentous occasion for traffic-weary South Bay commuters who had to endure congested freeways if they wanted to reach the closest BART station in south Fremont; for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which built the extension; for BART itself, which had to redesign its system map now that its trains travel to five counties; and for the public officials and business leaders that pushed to realize the long-held goal of bringing the Bay Area’s chief transit system to its largest city.

Whether you’re still riding BART these days or planning your trips for sometime in the future, here’s what you need to know about the South Bay’s BART stations.

BART unveiled its redesigned system map on Friday. The most noticeable of its changes are the addition of the new Milpitas and Berryessa stations in the South Bay. BART

Where are they?

The Milpitas station is located near the city’s border with San Jose, at the intersection of the Montague Expressway and Great Mall Parkway. The stop is just south of the Great Mall, about a 10-minute walk from its entrance.

The Berryessa station sits just northeast of Highway 101, between Berryessa Road and Mabury Road. It’s just east of the San Jose Flea Market, and about 3 miles from downtown.

What BART lines are they on?

The stations are on BART’s Green Line, which goes to Daly City, and the Orange Line to Richmond.

How much is the fare?

Traveling to Milpitas will tack 75-80 cents onto your fare each way, compared to a trip to Warm Springs. Going to Berryessa adds another 25-30 cents on top of that.

For example, someone traveling from Embarcadero station in San Francisco pays $7.10 each way to get to Warm Springs. That rider will pay $7.90 to travel from Embarcadero to Milpitas, and $8.15 to get to Berryessa.

(All those fares assume the rider is an adult with a Clipper card; tack on 50 cents more each way with a paper ticket.)

How long will the trip take?

The ride from Warm Springs to Milpitas takes nine minutes. It’s another four minutes to go from Milpitas to Berryessa. It will take just over an hour to get from Berryessa to Embarcadero station.

How often will trains arrive?

BART has slashed its schedule amid local coronavirus lockdowns, though it will gradually increase service with more businesses reopening and riders starting to trickle back.

As it stands now, trains will depart every 30 minutes on weekdays, every 20 minutes on Saturdays and every 24 minutes on Sundays.

You can find BART schedules here, and real-time departure information is available on the system’s official app.

Is there parking?

Is there ever — each station has a six-story parking garage, with more than 1,500 total parking spots apiece.

Like the lots at other BART stations, all-day parking will cost you $3.

But evening and weekend riders beware — these lots are owned by VTA, not BART, and VTA will charge for parking all day, everyday. Don’t expect the free parking lots at other BART stations offer on weekends and weekday evenings.

A monthly parking pass is $50, and you can also get long-term parking for $7 per day.

Learn more about parking here.

How can I get there on public transportation?

The Milpitas station has a pedestrian bridge connecting it to the VTA light rail system’s Orange Line. Nine VTA bus routes and one AC Transit route will also connect to the station.

The Berryessa station doesn’t have a light rail connection, but five bus routes stop there — including the Rapid 500, a high-frequency route that goes to downtown San Jose and on to Diridon Station.

Learn more about connections at the Milpitas Transit Center here, and the Berryessa Transit Center here.

What about biking?

Each station has room for more than 200 bicycles, most at paid indoor storage areas. They also have paid bike lockers and free bike racks.

The indoor bike storage areas and lockers require a BikeLink card, with charges ranging from 2 to 10 cents per hour.

The Berryessa station connects to surrounding streets with a fully separated bike route. Someone making the trip to downtown San Jose from there will mostly have buffered or protected bike lanes on the journey if they follow the city’s Better Bikeways route, though a few residential blocks of the trip don’t have that infrastructure.

Learn more about bicycle parking here.