BART Systemwide Outage Strands Bay Area Commuters

On Friday morning, Bay Area Rapid Transit trains were halted systemwide due to a computer equipment failure following overnight network upgrades, leaving tens of thousands of commuters stranded across the San Francisco Bay Area. The disruption began before the start of service at 5:00 a.m. and persisted for several hours.

The outage - the second major system shutdown in four months - underscores BART’s aging infrastructure and comes at a time when reliable transit remains crucial for the region’s economic recovery. Limited service resumed in the East Bay by 9:30 a.m., but routes to San Francisco, the Transbay Tube and SFO remained suspended, forcing riders to seek alternative transportation.

Impact on Riders

  • Trains were down across all lines shortly before the 5:00 a.m. start-of-service, with no immediate estimate for restoration.
  • Approximately 160,000 passengers typically ride BART on a Friday, with ridership still below 50% of pre-pandemic levels.
  • Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit warned of delays and overcrowding as displaced BART commuters transferred to other systems.

Agency Response

BART spokesperson Alicia Trost advised riders to “seek alternate means of transportation” and noted that rebooting after network work can take more than an hour before trains can safely carry passengers. Technical crews identified the fault at 4:30 a.m. and worked through the morning to restore limited service in the East Bay by 9:30 a.m., while service into San Francisco remains suspended indefinitely.

Alternative Transportation Options

  • East Bay: Yellow Line (Antioch-12th St. Oakland), Blue Line (Dublin-MacArthur) and Orange Line (Berryessa-Richmond) resumed limited service at 9:30 a.m..
  • San Francisco: Riders directed to AC Transit buses, Bay Ferry services and enhanced Muni Metro mutual-aid routes between Embarcadero and Balboa Park.
  • Trip planning tools: BART trip planner website and mobile app to deselect BART and view ferries, buses and regional rail alternatives.

Ongoing Upgrades and Past Disruptions

BART is undertaking a multi-year overhaul of its computer network, including router and switch replacements. However, overnight complications have now triggered two major failures this year - in May and again on Friday - raising questions about timing and risk mitigation for future upgrades.

As technicians work to fully restore service, BART officials have yet to announce a timeline for reopening Transbay and airport routes. Commuters are advised to check bart.gov and local transit websites for real-time updates.