East Bay residents catching BART to San Francisco on Sunday should brace for long waits, multiple transfers and — in all likelihood — unusually harried crowds.
The culprit? A critical infrastructure project in the Transbay Tube, which will require BART to pause two of its five train lines. Service will stop on the Red Line from Richmond to Millbrae and the Green Line from Daly City to Berryessa while workers swap out a hundred light fixtures.
Trains will run every half hour during the work period. However, BART will provide a Yellow Line “shuttle train” to run all day between Millbrae and San Francisco International Airport, a key destination and revenue generator for the agency.
Anyone still triggered from last week’s Interstate 80 freeway closure would be forgiven for wondering whether every weekend must include a massive disruption to the transportation, to make way for vital infrastructure repair that isn’t obvious to the untrained eye.
But BART spokespeople are keen to remind riders that keeping the tube bright is worth a little inconvenience. They might also add, with a wry wink, that the I-80 closure led to a ridership spike for BART.
With new lights installed, train operators will have better sight lines to any track hazards in the tunnel. Passengers could evacuate more easily, should disaster strike beneath the bay.
“Our team will be removing outdated, four-foot-long fluorescent lights and replacing them with new LED light fixtures,” said BART media relations manager Chris Filippi.
BART’s Transbay light installation will continue for two more Sundays, on June 7 and July 19.