Community Corner

Equipment Woes At Bay Fair Station Cause BART Delays Thursday Morning

Service gradually returning to normal on lines through San Leandro after early problem with switching equipment.

BART service was gradually returning to normal Thursday morning after an equipment failure at Bay Fair station caused major delays on the three lines that run through San Leandro.

BART spokesman Jim Allison said the problem began at 6:36 a.m. when a temporary PG&E power outage affected the switching systems that route trains through the busy station.

Allison said the switches were supposed to reset automatically but did not.

Find out what's happening in San Leandrowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

BART maintainance workers had to be sent to make repairs.

Meanwhile, trains had to travel very slowly through the switchpoint.

Find out what's happening in San Leandrowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Interviewed at the downtown San Leandro station, BART rider Joel Plaisance took the disruption in stride.

"Delays like this are not very common," said Plaisance, a tax account who works in San Francisco. "My main gripe is that they don't run 10-car trains even during rush hour."

Working mom Salena Sewell of San Leandro was more anxious about getting to work on time in downtown Oakland.

Sewell said she had a complicated commute.

She travels from Bay Fair to San Leandro station where she exits to take her daughter to school. Then it's back on BART to Oakland.

"I heard about the delays and left a little early," Sewell said. "I only hope I can make it."

BART said the disruption had nothing to do with the small earthquake that occurred at 5:36 a.m. this morning in Berkeley.


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