Commuters found themselves trapped in the Bay Area train station during the peak hours of Friday morning commutes after computers issued services to the area's train system for more than four hours.
Starting Friday at 5 a.m. until after 9 a.m., train officials said they had resumed service throughout the system, thus completely halting the Bay Area Rapid Transport (BART). But officials said major delays could be “due to earlier train control issues”, according to Bart’s update.
Initially, officials said the train system was shut down “due to computer network issues,” and Bart officials shared in an early morning alarm. “Seeking other modes of transportation.”
Bart spokesman Alicia Trost told KTVU-TV that the East Bay station will be re-used – from lines originating from Richmond, Antioch and Dublin/Pleasanton so commuters can get to Auckland. From there, commuters will be able to take buses or ferries from Oakland to San Francisco, Trost said.
The entire system's Bart crash caused chaos in commuting throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Most commuters use heavy rail lines that connect the five most populous counties in the region and San Francisco with San Francisco, according to bus data.
Commuters arrived at Bart Station in shock Friday morning to find their station’s doors closed, some wrapped around the fare gates wearing yellow warning tape. Many scramble to make alternative arrangements, while in Bay Bridges and rides (such as Uber), traffic is high, reports said fares are higher due to increased demand.
Bart officials encouraged riders to find alternatives to traffic at their site, which seemed to recommend alternative bus lines.
Many transport agencies in the area try to help commuters. The San Francisco Bay Ferry System puts its largest ferry into operation and urges people who need to transport from Oakland, Alameda, Richmond and Vallejo to take it away. East Bay's Bus Systems AC Transit Company is transporting buses with passengers to the Bay Bridge to enter the Salesforce Transit Center.
Friday’s major closure is the latest challenge for Bart, who, like all Bay Area transportation systems, has been working to restore passengers as few people return to offices after the 19th pandemic.
The system also works to combat perceptions of lack of security and concerns about cleanliness, and faces funding shortages as federal and state emergency funds are about to expire. To address these challenges, Bart has begun installing more robust fare gates that are difficult for fare escapers to skip. They also began operating shorter trains as officials acknowledged “digital security” and allowed easier patrols.
Bart raised his fare by 5.5% in January to keep inflation pace, with the average fare rising from $4.47 to $4.72. Drivers also reported enjoying new Bart cars that replaced decades of versions that sometimes lacked work air conditioning.
