BART adds cars to handle demand after tanker fire shuts down I-880

BART is closely monitoring passenger loads and will adjust train sizes whenever possible to accommodate increased ridership as a result of the continued closure of I-880 following this morning’s fiery tanker crash that shutdown a portion of the freeway near 16th  Avenue. Caltrans tells BART that it expects that stretch of freeway to remain closed through the evening commute.

Whenever possible, BART will adjust trains lengths before, during and after this evening commute to meet ridership demand.  However, BART cautions customers that with this surge in ridership, some trains may be more crowded than normal.

MORNING RIDERSHIP INCREASE

As a result of the freeway closure, BART saw about an eight percent increase in the number of passengers using stations south of Lake Merritt between the start of service and 10 o’clock this morning. Additionally, the Coliseum/Oakland Airport Station, which is located near the accident scene, saw a 27 percent increase in the number of people exiting the station.  That suggests many people decided to use BART to get to Oakland International Airport to make sure they got to their flights on-time instead of taking a chance on driving down I-880.

TOMORROW’S COMMUTE

Caltrans says it expects to open the affected section of freeway by tomorrow morning’s commute.  However, in the event Caltrans is unable to do that, BART will continue to work with Caltrans to adjust train sizes until the agency fixes the freeway.