Riders prepare for delays this weekend and next week as BART’s summer track work heats up

Riders taking BART to San Francisco International Airport this summer have had to deal with the inconvenience of delays and transfers because of ongoing track work at night. 

This weekend is no exception, with BART telling riders to prepare for delays of up to 30 minutes because of train control system work. 

BART will close one track between Millbrae, SFO and San Bruno from 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday night. While BART will return to a normal schedule on Monday, riders should continue to expect delays after 9 p.m until Thursday.

BART advises passengers to use its online trip planner to navigate around the service disruptions.

The delays stem from the installation of what BART describes as “critical components of a new train control system that will greatly enhance reliability for decades to come.” In a statement, BART said crews will install approximately nine miles of cable for a new communications-based train control system, which will eventually allow trains to run more frequently.

This construction and its related service impacts are expected to continue throughout the summer, affecting passengers traveling between the Millbrae, SFO and Daly City stations.

The work affects the yellow line from Antioch to Millbrae and red line from Richmond to Millbrae. 

Red line riders have grown accustomed to being rerouted. BART had completely closed the red line on three Sundays between April and July to replace lighting in the Transbay Tube.

Riding BART from Millbrae to SFO Thursday, Krishna Bhakta said she is glad the work is being carried out over the weekend, when it affects fewer people.

“I am not going to be personally affected because I only take BART on weekdays during the day for work,” she said.

Hugh Lyford, who also was traveling to SFO Thursday, noted that his return ride on Sunday would be a minor inconvenience. Travelers heading to the airport will likely face greater disruptions, he said.

In addition, BART trains will not run between the Union City and Warm Springs/South Fremont stations for the next four weekends, for a project that started July 25 and will continue through Sept. 26–27.

The green line will be completely suspended on affected weekends, while the orange line will run but skip the Union City, Fremont, and Warm Springs/South Fremont stations. AC Transit will provide shuttles to connect riders between those three stations, while a separate orange line train will loop between Warm Springs/South Fremont and Berryessa/North San Jose.

During these weekends, BART crews will be working in the trackway near Fremont Station to replace an interlocking, which BART described as “a critical section of track that allows trains to safely switch routes.”

The agency says the maintenance is part of an overarching effort to improve system safety and reliability.

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