Bay Area Rapid Transit service between Oakland and San Francisco resumed on Thursday morning after a temporary disruption caused by an equipment issue. Around 8:30 am, the agency said there was no service between the West Oakland and 24th Street Mission stations, including the Transbay Tube, due to a “network engineering problem.”
Commuters were being urged to use alternate means of transportation. At 9 am, BART officials said service has resumed, with the agency saying riders should expect residual delays as service was being re-established.
Recent outage caused by fire near West Oakland
Thursday’s outage comes after the Transbay Tube was shut down for several hours on Sunday after communication cables were damaged. The outage forced thousands to use buses and other forms of transportation to cross the bay.
Officials said Sunday’s outage was caused by an RV fire at a homeless encampment near the West Oakland station. It was unclear if the outages are connected.
About the BART system
BART, or Bay Area Rapid Transit, is a heavy-rail public transportation system that serves the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It connects major areas including the San Francisco Peninsula, East Bay and South Bay across five counties with 50 stations and 131 miles of track.
BART was created in 1957 and began running trains in 1972. The system has expanded over the years, including a 2020 extension to Berryessa/North San José. The system has six routes, most of which pass through Oakland and cross the bay to San Francisco through the Transbay Tube.
The lines extend to areas such as Millbrae, Richmond, Antioch, Dublin/Pleasanton and Berryessa. Trains run daily until late evening, and stations connect with local bus systems such as Muni, AC Transit and VTA.
BART trains are electric and include modern features such as space for bicycles. The system provides access to offices, universities, airports including San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport, and popular attractions. Ridership remains strong, although it has changed since the pandemic due to more people working from home.