BART told passengers to expect ‘major system-wide delays’ until trains stop running on Friday after an early morning electrical problem in the Transbay Tube brought agency operations to a standstill transit system and at one point jammed a train inside the tube with around 200 people on board.
The train was stuck in the Transbay tube for just over an hour between Embarcadero and West Oakland stations after a power problem forced the transit agency to turn off one of the rails, officials said Friday morning.
The broken down train, which was headed for San Francisco, was stuck on the de-energized rail when the problem began just before 7.15 a.m. Friday morning.
At 8:35 a.m. another train took him back to West Oakland, BART spokeswoman Cheryl Stalter said, where everyone was dropped off at the station.
That problem started when an electrical surge tripped a circuit breaker, which put a rail in the tube out of service, officials said. Crews were working to determine the root cause of the problem.
Officials added that they would not be able to resolve the issue until service ended Friday evening, as it forces BART to shut down all service in the tube for the safety of the crew.
BART was still expected to operate a single rail for the yellow and blue lines through the tube until the end of service Friday, with significant delays all day on multiple lines as a result, BART officials said. The red and green lines through the tube have been canceled for the day.
A service notice on Friday encouraged people to “seek alternative transportation.” AC Transit offered free rides on transbay lines, while officials recommended Muni for trips to San Francisco and ferry service across the bay.
It was the second time in less than a week that equipment problems in the tube interrupted the service.
On Sunday, service was restored after about two hours. Officials did not say what caused the problem at the time.
The issues came as the transit agency attempts to celebrate its 50th anniversary as it faces its biggest drop in ridership in five decades of exploitation, caused by the pandemic, which has called into question its financial future.
Danielle Echeverria is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected]: @DanielleEchev