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BART Reporting Major Delays Due To Disabled Train In Oakland; 400 Evacuated

OAKLAND (CBS SF) - BART is recovering from major delays Monday morning in downtown Oakland after a train became disabled between the 12th Street and Lake Merritt stations, forcing more than 400 riders to be evacuated.

BART wrote on Twitter at about 10 a.m. Monday that crews had managed to restart the train, and that other trains were turned back and held to mitigate crowding.

BART says 421 people had to be evacuated from the disabled train. No one was injured during the evacuation.

It's not known why the train became disabled. BART shut down the electrified third rail so no one would get hurt if they fell.

"Because 12th Street was so close, it was decided we would have them walk from the train - the few hundred feet to the platform because that was the fastest way to get them out of the train and on their way," said BART spokesperson Anna Duckworth.

Passenger Jeff Estrellanes was part of the evacuation.

"I was all of a sudden thrown back into my seat. I stood up and I was thrown back into my seat - it's almost like someone unplugged the electric from the BART train," said Estrellanes. "That's when the waiting began...followed by the walking."

He said he was 2 hours late for work.

"At the end of the day, I'm just more disappointed than anything. We get increased rates and increased parking fees and then this happens. I'm hoping they can fix whatever went wrong and prevent stuff like this from happening," said Estrellanes.

BART Tunnel Evacuation - 6/24/19 Part 1 by dons818 on YouTube
BART Tunnel Evacuation - 6/24/19 Part 2 by dons818 on YouTube

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