Blown Insulator And Smoke Situation Causes Brief Scare, And Delays, At Embarcadero BART

A loud bang and subsequent smoke situation filling Embarcadero Station Tuesday morning caused a fright for some commuters and inconvenienced others, but as BART explains, it was just a blown insulator that insulates the electrified third rail from the ground. The station was smoky from the time of the blow-out at 10:50 a.m. until about ten minutes later, and the East Bay-bound train that was in the station at the time of the incident was able to resume on its route by 11 a.m. Other SF-bound trains passed the station by due to smoke, according to Twitterers.

BART spokesperson Taylor Huckaby explained to the Chronicle, "There was an insulator, which is a track component that insulates the electrified third rail from the ground, that blew at Embarcadero. Sometimes that happens whenever there is a buildup of oxides on the insulator. They occasionally will then ground, which causes the insulator to fail."

The were subsequent 20-minute delays in the East Bay-bound direction as a result of the incident.

Related: Major BART Delays After Smoke Fills 16th Street Station