May 11, 2008 11:48 pm US/Pacific
Due To Fires, BART Delays To Linger Monday
HAYWARD (CBS 5 / KCBS / AP / BCN) ―
Bay Area Rapid Transit officials said riders can expect system-wide delays on Monday morning with possible East Bay delays lasting until mid-June, after two separate electrical fires at BART's South Hayward transit yard shut down some train service over the weekend.
"In terms of repairing the damage, it looks as if the job will take weeks, possibly even months," BART spokesman Jim Allison said.
There was no service at all between the Hayward and Fremont stations for hours on Saturday, and again on Sunday. Shuttle buses were used to bridge the gap.
On Monday, Richmond-Fremont line trains will stop at the Bay Fair station and then turn around and go back north. Passengers will have to transfer at the Bay Fair station to access stations farther south.
Another BART spokesman, Linton Johnson, said riders should be prepared for system-wide delays during the Monday morning commute. He urged passengers to arrive at all stations 15 minutes early.
"We will get people to where they are going, but they may be delayed somewhat," added BART Assistant General Manager Paul Overseer. "We're asking people to arrive a little bit early and allow an extra 15 minutes for their trip."
The first of the two fires broke out around 4:30 a.m Saturday and forced the closure of the Hayward, South Hayward, Union City and Fremont BART stations.
Another fire broke out again at the same substation shortly before noon Saturday and caused another substation to catch fire.
The fire-damaged Hayward yard holds 25 percent of BART's fleet and Sunday's station closures occured so that trains could be moved out of that yard.
BART officials were investigating the cause of the fires, Johnson said. Preliminary investigations indicated the fires broke out while workers were installing an equipment upgrade.
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