BART apologizes for ‘terrible experiences,’ blames heat and aging equipment for delays

By Aidin Vaziri and Rachel Swan | San Francisco Chronicle (TNS)

BART said Thursday that extreme heat and worn-down equipment appear to have contributed to a fire near Daly City Station that has disrupted service across the Bay Area for three days, snarling airport trips, Peninsula service and the morning commute.

During a sobering board meeting Thursday morning, several directors acknowledged all the riders who had missed flights or appointments or arrived to work late because of the ongoing meltdown.

“I want to apologize to our riders who’ve had some really terrible experiences over the past 48 hours,” Board Director Edward Wright said. “I don’t think we instinctively do that enough.”

The fire started Tuesday night after an HVAC unit failed inside a traction power substation room near Daly City Station, Assistant General Manager of Operations Sylvia Lamb told the board. General Manager Bob Powers had ceded the floor to her during his procedural report, deeming it the best way to be transparent with the public.

Using highly technical language, Lamb outlined a series of disasters that started with a series of “false occupancy,” when the transit agency’s computers mistakenly detect a train on a track that's actually empty. This was made more complicated because it occurred near Daly City, a station where several lines converge and have to switch tracks, Lamb said. Trains started backing up.

“As the day went on, and there were more and more 'FOs,' this impacted more and more of the service,” Lamb said. “Initial indications suggest that the heat there in the train control room could have contributed to multiple false occupancies.” She noted that an air conditioning unit had blown out amid this week’s heat wave.

Then at 6:40 p.m. the circuit breakers for the Daly City substation tripped. BART staff reported seeing flames and a driver on Interstate 280 called 911, Lamb said. She described the substation as a piece of “original” BART infrastructure, meaning it’s at least 40 years old and was among the top five slated for replacement. It has a rusting roof and copper bar insulation.

“This is a very clear failure that is due to aging equipment, and it is very obvious what that is,” Lamb said.

Board Director Mark Foley recommended that BART install a new delay tracker on its website — similar to the frequently updated ridership tracker —to explain the cause of its various outages to the public. He also asked that the agency find a way to reimburse riders who find themselves stranded.

“Folks who were counting on us to get them somewhere,” Foley said. “Like I got a text this morning from a friend stuck on their way to the airport.”

Director Janice Li echoed that sentiment, pointing out that while some delays are merely annoying, others are catastrophic, such as if parents are late to pick their kids up from school.

“The way that we communicate out with riders is really helpful, especially to gain trust,” Li said.

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The fire damaged the substation, train control equipment and a traction power cable, according to BART officials. Transbay service was interrupted for about two hours Tuesday night, and the effects were still being felt Thursday.

BART has been running trains at reduced speeds between Daly City and Colma while crews make repairs, much of it overnight when trains are not running. The agency has also shortened service on some lines to reduce the number of trains moving through the Daly City area.

By Thursday afternoon, BART said the Yellow, Red, Blue and Orange lines were operating on normal schedules, while Green Line service remained suspended. The Green Line was not running to reduce train congestion near Daly City, the agency said.

All 50 BART stations remained open, the agency said, though some riders needed to transfer to complete their trips.

BART said the service plan was expected to remain in place through Thursday, and there was no timeline for full repairs or the return of five-line service.

The series of disruptions continued into Thursday morning, when a separate train control issue near South San Francisco briefly stopped service between SFO/ Millbrae and Colma.

Service later resumed between San Bruno and Colma, but riders were warned to expect residual delays in Antioch, Richmond, SFO and Millbrae.

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