All BART service resumed Friday morning after a systemwide shutdown due to a computer networking problem, the transit agency said.
At 9:17 a.m., BART posted on social media, "BART service has resumed system wide. Expect major delays in service toward all destinations due to an earlier train control problem."
Watch NBC Bay Area News free wherever you are
WATCH HEREEast Bay stations reopened for train service at about 8:30 a.m., but trains started running until 9:30 a.m., BART said. At that time, Yellow Line trains ran from Antioch to MacArthur; Blue Line trains ran from Dublin to MacArthur; Orange Line trains ran from Richmond to Berryessa.
It all started at about 4:25 a.m. when the agency posted on X, "Due to a train control system problem BART service is suspended system wide until further notice. Seek alternate means of transportation."
BART added later that crews are on hand, troubleshooting a "computer networking problem."
BART spokesperson Alicia Trost said the control center was unable to power up the system after its daily overnight shutdown.
Local
"It does happen from time to time, our system is over 50 years old," she said. "The good news is we're in the process of replacing it, and we have the funding to do so because of Measure RR, and the federal government has made investments into our infrastructure. But it's awful news that the Bay Area can't rely on BART as of this moment. We don't have an ETA as to when the trains will go because part of that is identifying the location of the problem."
Trost added that crews restarted all the system's servers to isolate and fix the issue.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news with the Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
SIGN UP “It’s surprising, it’s disruptive,” said Kevin Lo.
He was just one of thousands of confused and frustrated travelers who were turned away at fare gates.
They scrambled to find another route -- including buses, ferries, and expensive ride shares. The delay also had some commuters questioning the reliability of the transit system.
“I used to take BART to the airport all the time. Now it's like, I don't know whether I'm going to get there on time, so I've got to take rideshare,” commuter Marc Joffee said. “That's not what we want to have in a major metropolitan area. We need to have reliable transit.”
Some commuters waited for hours, delaying their plans. While hoping the system would come back online. Full service was restored within hours, but residual delays lingered for hours.
“This is a really critical piece of infrastructure and you’d think they would put more money into it to make it better all around,” commuter Michael Stanton said.
BART is currently rebuilding their aging train control system. The transit system is continuing to investigate the specifics of Friday but said they do not believe there was any foul play.
Transit alternatives can be found at bart.gov/alternatives.
This is a breaking story. Check back here for updates.
Due to a computer networking problem BART service is suspended system wide until further notice. Seek alternate means of transportation. Find more info at https://t.co/DVWMOmCfmD
— BART Alert (@SFBARTalert) May 9, 2025
Due to a train control system problem BART service is suspended system wide until further notice. Seek alternate means of transportation. Find more info at https://t.co/DVWMOmCfmD
— BART Alert (@SFBARTalert) May 9, 2025
