Aging BART infrastructure blamed for multiple systemwide disruptions

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- BART officials say aging infrastructure contributed to a substation fire and other issues that caused systemwide disruptions over several days this week, stranding commuters and causing delays during a Bay Area heat wave.

BART experienced delays for a third consecutive day Thursday, with disruptions impacting the morning commute. Officials said they do not believe Thursday's problems were directly related to the substation fire in Daly City earlier in the week, though they said heat could have been a factor in both situations.

Thousands of riders were forced to navigate delays and service suspensions across the system.

"For three days in a row, this is unacceptable. This is really bad," said Alice Kelina, a Concord resident.

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Kelina was attempting to travel from Concord to work in San Bruno when her train was forced to stop in Colma.

"All of my meetings that I have to run, now I'm going to have to postpone or cancel and let a lot of people down. So this is really unfortunate and sad," Kelina said.

Service between San Bruno and Colma was completely suspended for part of Thursday morning, affecting service to San Francisco International Airport. Major delays were also reported south of Daly City.

"You can't really go to San Bruno. That's where I'm trying to go. I'm just trying to get an Uber, get there quickly," said Anshul Ganumpally, a San Francisco resident.

RELATED: Crews put out fire at Daly City BART station that caused systemwide delays

The latest disruptions followed major delays Tuesday and Wednesday caused by a fire at a substation near the Daly City station and another fire just south of it.

According to BART officials, the damaged substation was already near the top of the agency's repair list. Officials said that 70% of BART's 74 substations are original.

"There was definitely aging in the building where the substation is. So this was a priority for us. But of course, with limited resources, there's only so much that can be done. Replacing a substation costs $60 million, so it's a lot of money to do that sort of work," BART Spokesperson Chris Filippi said.

The infrastructure challenges come as BART faces an ongoing financial crisis, prompting board members to discuss potential improvements they could implement more quickly.

MORE: Bay Area voters to decide on transit funding measures amid systemwide delays

"What is in our control is a robust communications plan when something big like this happens," one board member said during a meeting.

Another board member called for exploring ways to compensate affected riders.

"I would like us to explore how we could reimburse riders. Folks who were counting on us to get them somewhere. Like, I got a text this morning from a friend stuck on their way to the airport. How do we address that?" the board member said.

As BART works to address aging infrastructure and ongoing service concerns, riders affected by the recent disruptions say they want more reliable service and better communication when major problems occur.