Record-breaking temperatures caused BART to halt train service between the Pleasant Hill and Concord stations Tuesday for track repairs, while in the South Bay, the VTA had to pull dozens of buses from the roads due to mechanical issues.
The BART incident, which was Wednesday morning, occurred during the evening commute around 5:30 p.m., and people were told to get off the trains and head to buses to get home. BART began single-tracking trains early Wednesday, and crews completed repairs by about 6 a.m.
“It’s happened several times before,” said a BART passenger. “I’ve experienced it twice this year so this is three times. I feel since this is an old problem they should have buses ready for the situation.”
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That passenger was mainly frustrated because of the train service disruption in June.
That’s when heat caused a partial derailment in a similar location, forcing passengers off trains and onto buses to get to their destination.
“You work all day tired trying to get home, it's just not fun,” said another BART passenger.
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As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, service was restored to both tracks, but trains were running slow, according to a BART spokesperson.
“I guess it's frustrating, it makes it a longer commute but if that’s what they got to do that’s what they got to do,” said commuter Lance Connelly.
The heat caused a problem for transit and roads in various parts of the Bay Area.
In the South Bay, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority pulled about 40 buses out of service because of mechanical issues due to the extreme heat. Air conditioning units malfunctioned, and engines overheated, the agency said. Riders can check if their route is operating by going to VTA.org/go/routes.
And extreme heat may be the reason why the road buckled on southbound Highway 101 near Route 156 heading to Gilroy.
“It’s not definitive but we do believe it’s possibly related to the higher temperatures that we’re seeing,” said Alexa Bertola of Caltrans
Caltrans says it’s not normal for the roads to buckle, but it’s happened before. Crews on Tuesday night were keeping an eye out, ready to respond in case it happens again.
