Service restored after North Berkeley BART equipment problem

Service has been restored on BART following an equipment problem that resulted in the suspension of service between the North Berkeley and El Cerrito Del Norte Stations on Wednesday evening. A report of a possible fire on trackway north of the North Berkeley Station was received around 6:47 p.m., but no evidence of a fire was found, according to BART Chief Spokesman Linton Johnson. Instead it was determined that a coverboard was down, Johnson said. The coverboard is the piece of equipment that covers the electric third rail that powers the train. During the closure, bus bridges were put in place to shuttle passengers around the affected stations. The equipment problem was repaired and service was restored around 7:54 p.m. Passengers were advised to expect residual delays as the system recovered from the incident.