BART Trains Shut Down Systemwide in San Francisco Bay Area

The main transit system in the San Francisco Bay Area had to halt all train services for several hours on Friday morning due to a computer issue, causing commuters to scramble for alternatives until service resumed shortly after 9 a.m. local time.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), which carries over 170,000 passengers on weekdays across the region, cited a “computer networking” problem as the reason for the service suspension. A BART spokesperson mentioned that a problem with powering the train control system led to the train operations being halted.

Although train services have now resumed, significant delays are expected.

The outage occurred at a time when BART has been struggling to attract passengers post-Covid-19 pandemic. With many Bay Area residents continuing to work remotely, BART has experienced a sharp decline in ridership compared to pre-pandemic levels. Passenger traffic on the Bay Area system remains at less than half of its pre-pandemic numbers, as reported by the American Public Transportation Association.

The cause of the networking problem was not immediately clear. During the morning rush hour, traffic congestion was observed at the freeway leading to the Bay Bridge, connecting Oakland and other East Bay communities to San Francisco. Commuters sought alternatives such as carpooling, local bus services, and ferries.

Chris Filippi, a BART spokesperson, stated that the computer issues affected all 50 stations in the system.

At the El Cerrito Plaza station in El Cerrito, California, a BART official prevented commuters from entering with backpacks and large tote bags until service resumed. Some commuters anxiously explored ride-share options and bus routes while waiting on the sidewalk.

Roya Koutchekinia, who was heading to her job at a San Francisco library, awaited an Uber ride at the station. She kept refreshing the app, worried about being late for work.

“I looked into bus options, but it seems unlikely that I’ll find a timely solution,” said Ms. Koutchekinia, a resident of El Cerrito.

BART may have been fortunate that the outage happened on a Friday, a day when commuter traffic is typically lighter due to remote work arrangements.

Other transit systems seemed to be operating smoothly on Friday. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, responsible for Muni bus and rail services, announced that it was assisting BART riders at selected stations. The San Francisco Bay Ferry reported using larger ferries to accommodate more passengers.

The ferry service noted an increase in ridership on Friday morning following the BART shutdown. With lower weekday commuter numbers on Fridays, the ferries had the capacity to accommodate additional passengers.

Around 8 a.m., traffic data indicated that driving from downtown Oakland to the Civic Center in San Francisco would take over 50 minutes. A BART trip between the two locations typically takes about 15 minutes.