BART Has Earthquake Warning System

BART is the first transit agency in the nation to install an "automated early warning earthquake system," according to the San Francisco Examiner.

Scientists from UC Berkeley, BART's partner in the seismic warning venture, installed more than 200 seismic recording devices across the state, the newspaper reported. BART is "plugged into this network," and if seismic activity is detected, BART's trains will automatically slow down or stop, according to the newspaper.

Depending on how close the earthquake's epicenter is, BART could have "up to one minute" to prepare for a Big One, the newspaper reported.

A quake off the coast, like the 1906 temblor, would give BART 50 seconds to slow down or stop trains. A quake near Loma Prieta, like the 1989 quake, would give BART 24 seconds, the newspaper reported.

BART trains could derail if they are traveling at their max speeds of 80 mph during a quake, the newspaper reported.