Wind-Toppled Trees And Debris Shut San Francisco, East Bay BART Tracks
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Tuesday's high winds wreaked havoc throughout the BART system's tracks causing closures and delays due to debris and downed trees obstructing the railways.
Commuters' headaches began when BART stopped all train service in both directions between Daly City and the 24th Street Mission station in San Francisco after a tree fell and blocked the tracks for over three hours beginning around 1:15 p.m. Service in that incident was restored before the evening commute, but passengers should expect residual delays.
Officials said a 30-foot log (12 inches in diameter) lay on the tracks in that area. A BART spokesperson told KCBS it wasn't immediately clear when the tracks would reopen. Before the evening commute, several passengers could be seen near the Balboa Park Station trying to figure out how they'd get home. An announcement was made over BART's intercom explaining the shutdown.
At about 4 p.m. the new BART Oakland Airport connector, which had earlier experienced delays due to a PG&E outage, was stopped between Coliseum Station and the airport because of the electrical problem. At one point before the shutdown, trains ran every 10 minutes instead of every five.
Earlier in the afternoon, service between Pleasant Hill and Concord stations in the East Bay was stopped, but restored shortly after 4:30 p.m. Disruptions are also being seen between Hayward and South Hayward on the Fremont line in the Fremont, Richmond, Daly City directions because of similar obstructions on the tracks.
Equipment problems were the cause for major delays between Castro Valley and Bay Fair in the Dublin / Pleasanton and Daly City directions.
Passengers in San Francisco are being encouraged to use parallel San Francisco Municipal Railway bus service in the area. Their BART passes are being honored. In the East Bay, a bus bridge has been set up for those passengers. We will have more updates as the story develops.
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