BART Disruptions Now Through Friday, Maybe Later

UPDATE 1:55PM THURSDAY-

A electrical issue that has interrupted BART service between the Pittsburg/Bay Point and North Concord/Martinez stations since Wednesday morning will not be resolved until Friday or later, according to the agency.

Crews continue to work to identify the source of an electrical problem that has damaged at least 50 cars in BART's fleet and the troubleshooting may extend into the weekend, BART officials said this afternoon.

BART officials first reported equipment problems between the two stations shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday. Train service between the stations has been halted since then and buses have been transporting riders.

Train cars are experiencing an electrical voltage spike that is damaging the propulsion equipment of cars running on the tracks between the two stations, BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said. Field testing was done throughout Wednesday to inspect all of the wayside train control system equipment but no abnormalities were found, Trost said.

Given that the problem is electrical in nature, BART is flying in outside experts with expertise in power control and protection and consulting with PG&E officials to further investigate the issue.

Trost said there is "no safety risk or concern for any of the passengers," even those riding on the train when it experiences the propulsion equipment failure.

Those on a train that encountered a voltage spike may not have even noticed because the train can continue to the end of the line before it is taken offline for repairs, she said. "But we have shut down that section of track because we can't afford to damage any more train cars. We already have a limited number of cars in our fleet," Trost said.

There are typically around 590 train cars running in BART's fleet during a weekday morning commute.

Today there were 534 train cars online, BART officials said.

Trains that are running should also be expected to be shorter and thus more crowded today because of the number of missing cars, Trost said.

For example, BART officials said there were 11 trains shorter than usual by one car and five trains shorter by two cars this morning.

Three trains never made their runs at all.

Because trains can make multiple runs throughout the day, the issue had a ripple effect systemwide even though the electrical problem was between two end-of-line stations, Trost said.

There were delays of around 10 minutes on the entire Pittsburg/Bay Point line reported earlier today.

BART train departure information can be found at bart.gov/schedules/eta.

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UPDATE 7:45AM-

There are approximately 50 BART cars out of service this morning because of an unknown electrical issue that has been affecting trains since Wednesday on the tracks between the Pittsburg/Bay Point and North Concord/Martinez stations, BART officials said.

BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said the bus shuttles currently running between the two stations are expected to continue at least throughout the morning, with no train service expected there.

Trost said there are plenty of buses available for riders, and the trip between the two stations is taking about 15 minutes.

She said train cars are experiencing an electrical voltage spike that is damaging the propulsion equipment on cars running on the track between Pittsburg/Bay Point and North Concord/Martinez.

The track is currently shut down and BART is flying in outside experts, as well as consulting with PG&E officials, to help investigate the electrical issues, Trost said.

Riders traveling between the two stations are encouraged to allow for extra travel time and to listen to station staff and public address announcements for the latest information when arriving at stations.

Trains are expected to be shorter and more crowded because of the number of cars out of service, according to Trost.

Riders are able to board a train at the North Concord station if they are traveling toward Oakland and San Francisco. Parking is free at that station today, Trost said.

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(original article)

MARTINEZ - A service disruption between BART's North Concord/Martinez and Pittsburg/Bay Point stations is expected to continue causing delays for commuters on Thursday, according to the agency.

A bus bridge will likely be established between the two stations during morning commute hours, according to BART officials.

At 4:50 a.m. Thursday morning, a check of the BART website said:

ADVISORY: There is a 10-minute delay on the Pittsburg/Bay Point Line in the Pittsburg / Bay Point and SFO directions due to an equipment problem on the track. There is no train service between North Concord and Pittsburg/Bay Point. A bus bridge has been established between both stations in both directions.

Commuters are advised to expect crowded busses, allow extra travel time and listen to station staff for updates.

Passengers at the North Concord Station will be able to board trains headed toward Oakland and San Francisco, according to BART officials.

BART reported on Twitter at 10:14 a.m. Wednesday that service had come to a halt between the two Contra Costa County stations because of an equipment problem on the tracks.

BART officials said the disruption was brought on by a "trackside equipment problem that we are working to troubleshoot and correct."

Crews are reportedly working around the clock to identify and fix the problem.

-Bay City News contributed; image via Patch archives