A Tuesday morning fire near the tracks between the Coliseum and Fruitvale stations has reportedly been extinguished, but its aftermath is still disrupting service on the Berryessa line between those two East Bay stations.
Update (11:54 a.m.): Service has resumed between the Coliseum and Fruitvale stations, but expect delays, as BART says "Please add extra time for travel."
FINAL UPDATE 11:35 am: Orange/Green/Blue line service has resumed between Fruitvale and Coliseum stations. It has resumed after staff has completed track inspections. Please add extra time for travel. Use real-time departures at https://t.co/kC3GpKmvKX or the Official BART app. pic.twitter.com/xBHN6B3O3w
— BART (@SFBART) February 21, 2023
Original story (11:36 a.m.): An unexpected snag in East Bay BART service today, as NBC Bay Area reports a fire near the tracks has halted service between the Fruitvale and Coliseum stations. The transit agency announced shortly before 10:45 a.m. that “BART service has stopped between Fruitvale and Coliseum due to a fire adjacent to the track. Expect major delays in service on the Berryessa line in all directions.”
BART service has stopped between Fruitvale and Coliseum due to a fire adjacent to the track. Expect major delays in service on the Berryessa line in all directions.
— BART Alert (@SFBARTalert) February 21, 2023
The fire was not actually on the tracks, only near them. And according to an 11:04 a.m. update from KGO, “The fire has been extinguished.” But as of Tuesday morning press time for this post, trains are not running in either direction between the Coliseum and Fruitvale stations.
Orange/Green/Blue Line service has been suspended between Fruitvale and Coliseum stations due to a fire near the trackway. We will update the public as we receive further information. https://t.co/C7IRsNh20N pic.twitter.com/PV6E4sPJgq
— BART (@SFBART) February 21, 2023
Those are the only two stations affected, and the Blue line, Orange line, and Green line are still running. (But yeah, expect delays.) You will have to get off BART and take an AC Transit bus between the Coliseum and Fruitvale stations at this point.
Update 11:07 am: Impacted riders can take @rideact
— BART (@SFBART) February 21, 2023
FROM FRUITVALE to OAK Airport/Berryessa/Dublin:
-Take 1T bus to 73rd & International
-Transfer to 73 bus toward Coliseum
FROM COLISEUM to Oakland/SF:
-Take 73 bus to 73rd & International
-Transfer to 1T toward Fruitvale pic.twitter.com/HgFzt76KiT
Per KGO, “A/C Transit is providing bus service between Fruitvale and Coliseum on bus 1T from International Blvd with a transfer to bus 73 to/from Coliseum.”
For impacted Orange/Green/Blue line riders, consider this alternative @rideact bus connections map between Fruitvale and Coliseum stations (and larger Oakland stations) by @thecanavigator.
— BART (@SFBART) February 21, 2023
We may just copy this for our own needs when the dust clears...https://t.co/mr8jBhuJNx
Some other possible AC Transit connections are shown in the tweet above, and it may be well into Tuesday afternoon until those lines have restored full, uninterrupted service.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Image: Pi.1415926535 via Wikimedia Commons