A computer equipment problem early Friday through the commute into chaos for BART riders, as authorities shut down the entire system for the second time since May.
In a series of social media statements, BART said the computer network issue followed a network upgrade. The agency did not say when the system would be open and urged riders to seek other means of transportation.
Related Articles
Newsom holding up a $750 million lifeline to Bay Area transit agencies, advocates say
Man stabbed at East Bay BART station, suspect arrested
Bay Area transit bailout plan runs into local resistance in San Mateo County
BART plans $930 million muni bond sale as budget deficits loom
BART accuses VTA of violating partnership, lack of transparency over the SJ extension
It’s the second time since May that BART has closed its entire system. On May 9, BART closed all 50 stations for nearly five hours, because of a network connectivity issue that prevented controllers from seeing train locations on the tracks and made safe operation of the system impossible.
AC Transit and the San Francisco Ferry Service were honoring BART tickets, according to the agency.
BART spokesperson Alicia Trost said the agency has been working on a major project with its system overnight for months and that something with the control system did not power up early Friday. When it does power up, it usually takes an hour for trains to be ready to run, she said.
BART posted a map of alternative options on its web site and on its social media messages.
Passenger Mustafa Mawris was on his phone app searching near the 19th Street station and called it an “unpleasant surprise” while adding that he still has confidence in the system.
The delay comes 2½ weeks after BART closed its Red Line service between Richmond through the San Francisco Airport and into Millbrae. That delay came on the first day that passengers were able to swipe credit cards and ATM cards instead of Clipper cards in its new Tap and Ride system of pay.
That marked one of several times BART’s service has been hit with major delays or cancellations this summer. An electrical outage July 2 brought an afternoon closure on the Yellow Line in eastern and central Contra Costa County.
The difficulties began in May. Unscheduled track maintenance affected trains moving through San Francisco on June 11. A fire near the tracks between the Daly City and Balboa Park stations caused BART to shut down service between those stations on May 27, the day BART opened back up after a fire near the San Leandro station the previous work affected service between the Lake Merritt, Berryessa and Dublin stations.
Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this story. Please check back for updates.
