San Francisco Bay transit recovering after systemwide outage causes commuting chaos
The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system said it is recovering from a systemwide network outage "unknown causes" that left thousands of commuters in the lurch Friday morning.
Image by Sheila Fitzgerald | Shutterstock
The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system said it is recovering from a systemwide network outage due to "unknown causes" that left thousands of commuters in the lurch Friday morning.
The computer networking issues impacting trains began about 4:30 a.m. Pacific Time, just as folks were gearing up for the morning commute.
“So many caught off guard when they came to Bart stations like this one in Union City,” one reporter from Kron4 TV News posted on social media, witnessing commuters scrambling to reach family members to pick them up or use ride-sharing services, with many forced to call out of work.
With 50 stations stretched along six routes in the San Francisco Bay Area, including direct connections to both the San Francisco and Oakland International Airports, the Northern California transit system serves over 160,000 riders on average on a weekday.
The City of San Francisco's Department of Emergency Services put out a service alert at 4:24 a.m. local time stating that “an unknown cause” was impacting all stations.
“All BART service is suspended until further notice,” it posted, warning riders to expect delays and use alternate routes.
Use the map below to find Transbay Service from BART stations.
undefined BART (@SFBART) May 9, 2025
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/OvfGU3EIc0 pic.twitter.com/ea6OdIM6wu
According to a BART spokesperson who spoke directly with Kron4, the transit system’s “control centers could not power up correctly overnight before Friday’s service,” leading to safety concerns over the lack of ability to monitor the trains.
As expected, many commuters took to X to express their frustration. “This failure is inexcusable. It should NEVER have happened,” one local posted on X.
“BART just shut down for 4 hours due to a networking issue. No trains. Overloaded buses. Bay Bridge gridlock. In the tech capital of the world… this is unacceptable,” another local commented.
🚨 BART just shut down for 4 hours due to a networking issue
undefined Russell McDonald ᵍᵐ 🎯 (@therussellmac) May 9, 2025
No trains. Overloaded buses. Bay Bridge gridlock.
In the tech capital of the world… this is unacceptable#BARTShutdown #TransitFail #BayAreaNews #InfrastructureMatters pic.twitter.com/4oxuyn6BaL
About four hours later, after the shutdown, BART announced that limited train service would begin at certain stations, still with no explanation for the public about what caused the ‘power-up’ failure to begin with.
By 10:00 a.m local time, BART announced all train service had been restored systemwide, with some delays expected.
“The train control system used by BART is more than 50 years old. It is undergoing replacement, but the project has not yet been completed,” the BART spokesperson told the news station.
