RV fire shuts down BART’s Transbay Tube, raising encampment-related concerns
OAKLAND, Calif. – An RV fire close to the West Oakland station Sunday afternoon pressured BART to shut down the Transbay Tube for more than 12 hoursstranding riders and inflicting lengthy waits for bus bridges between Oakland and San Francisco.
Thick smoke was seen from the platform as flames burned close to Fifth and Filbert streets. BART officers stated the fire broken radio communication cables important for prepare operations by means of the underwater tunnel.
“We can’t operate trains through the Transbay Tube without the radios working,” stated Alicia Trost, BART’s chief communications officer.
The shutdown led to crowded bus bridges and hours-long delays. BART stated AC Transit assisted with buses however famous they don’t have the identical passenger capability as a prepare.
Crews accomplished repairs in a single day, and repair resumed earlier than the primary trains ran Monday morning.
Second fire in per week raises ongoing concerns
“We actually had an incident, literally last Sunday near Hayward that was caused by a generator from a homeless encampment, blowing up and catching fire and that also damaged fiber cables,” Trost stated.
Officials stated fire dangers close to encampments have develop into an ongoing concern.
“This specific site, with the RV, we were aware of it, and we actually were in communication with the City of Oakland. Like, when can we clean this up? We’ll help. We’ll come and help you. Let’s do this together. We know resources are tight, but it didn’t happen in time,” Trost stated.
BART stated it joined metropolis crews to clear tents and ask individuals to vacate the world Monday morning.
The Oakland Fire Department is a part of town’s Encampment Management Team, a collaborative effort with departments together with Oakland Police, Code Enforcement Services, and Public Works.
“I think there are certain corridors of the city that experience it in disproportionate numbers,” stated Michael Hunt of the Oakland Fire Department. “Areas along East 12th and San Leandro Boulevard were an area that saw a lot more of these types of fires over the last five years. There’s been a lot of work to address that.”
Sunday’s disruption follows a sequence of energy and network-related delays final 12 months.
“So the main thing that we want people to know is that we are absolutely focused on reliability. We’re seeing great improvements, but we have to keep it very consistent,” Trost stated. “Our on-time performance right now is 93%, which is really great. Customer satisfaction is 88%, which is really high compared to a few years ago. Our ridership is increasing.”
BART stated it’s whether or not it might harden gear throughout future upgrades to stop related fire-related shutdowns.
