Fatality On Tracks At MacArthur BART Causes Major Delays
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- BART is recovering major delays in all directions Thursday evening due to a fatality on the tracks at MacArthur Station that closed the station for a period of time, according to officials.
The SF BART alert Twitter account posted about the emergency shortly after 3 p.m.
A few minutes later, the account posted that the station was closed.
BART officials confirmed that there was a person under a train on the tracks that was forcing trains to single track through the station.
Trains were passing through the station without stopping for about an hour, but shortly before 4 p.m. San Francisco and Fremont trains started stopping at the station again. Bay Point and Richmond trains still were not stopping at the station.
Oakland police and fire units responded to the emergency.
At about 3:20 p.m., Oakland Fire Department officials confirmed that the person on the tracks was dead and that crews were working to recover the body. There was no information about the identity of the person or how they ended up on the tracks.
BART riders are being advised that if MacArthur is their final destination to use alternate transportation. AC Transit bus service is available to MacArthur. From Rockridge, riders can take the 51A; from 19th, take the #57 or #33 and from Ashby take #18.
At 4 p.m., BART advised that riders on Bay Point and Richmond trains that weren't stopping at MacAthur could double back to MacArthur from either Rockridge or Ashby.
As of 5:45 p.m., trains were still only stopping in the San Francisco and Fremont directions. The Alameda County Coroner had arrived on the scene.
Shortly after 6:30 p.m., BART officials said they were in the process of restoring full service to MacArthur Station on the Pittsburg/Bay Point and Richmond lines. Officials said riders should expect some residual delays.
