A computer issue forced a full shutdown of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system for seven hours on Thursday, leaving many San Francisco Bay Area commuters searching for other transportation options. The disruption began at around 5 a.m. after a network upgrade failed to allow the agency to start its train dispatch system, according to BART spokesperson Alicia Trost.
Trains resumed service after noon, following the unexpected suspension. Trost explained that software upgrades are usually conducted overnight but said, “something went wrong Thursday night that prevented the agency from starting the computer system that dispatches the trains.”
This marks the second time in four months that BART has experienced a complete systemwide closure. Last week, an incident inside the Transbay Tube led to smoke filling a car when a train stopped suddenly due to brake issues, causing officials to halt service between San Francisco and Oakland temporarily. In May, another major disruption occurred when a power outage led to problems with BART’s train control systems.
