Disabled BART train at West Oakland causes major delays in transit system
BART passengers faced major systemwide delays for hours due to a disabled train at West Oakland station Saturday morning, according to transit officials.
The @SFBARTalert X account first posted about the issue shortly before 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
There is a delay developing at West Oakland in all directions due to an equipment problem on a train.
— BART Alert (@SFBARTalert) October 12, 2024
A recorded message at the BART media line said that smoke was emanating from the piece of equipment on the underside of the train that draws power from the third rail. Video posted to the Citizen app showed the West Oakland BART station platform crowded with people who were forced to get off of the disabled train.
BART later tweeted that service was delayed in the SFO, Millbrae and Daly City directions due to the equipment problem. Red Line riders travelling from Richmond to SF were advised to board an Orange Line train and transfer at MacArthur.
The agency said Blue Line service is currently running between Dublin/Pleasanton and Bay Fair. Riders can transfer at Bay Fair to a Green Line train for transbay service or to the Orange Line for service to Berryessa/North San Jose or Richmond.
At around 12:30 p.m., BART officials posted that there was currently no Red line service between Millbrae and Richmond stations. Blue Line service is running between Bay Fair and Dublin/Pleasanton stations, while Green Line service is running between Berryessa and Coliseum stations.
At 2:14 p.m., officials tweeted that all lines had returned to normal service.
BART is recovering from an earlier problem. There is a major delay system wide due to an earlier disabled train at West Oakland station. Normal train service has resumed on all lines.
— BART Alert (@SFBARTalert) October 12, 2024
The issue is likely affecting more people than usual due to residents from the East Bay and elsewhere traveling into San Francisco for Fleet Week activities.