'Pretty Big' Equipment Break Caused BART Morning Meltdown
Categories: Breaking News, Public Transit
 |
| Will Harper |
| Following this morning's incident in the transbay tunnel, BART experienced long delays and crowded trains |
BART spokesman Jim Allison described the failed yoke assembly as "a pretty big piece of equipment." The spokesman said BART's chief transportation officer could not recall a failure of this sort ever occurring before. The manufacturer of the yoke assembly has been contacted, and will be assisting BART in its investigation -- though Allison was not sure what company that is.
He was also unsure how BART will proceed; whether it will investigate the yoke assemblies on all its trains; or whether the affected train was due for an inspection or had recently received a clean bill of health.
At 6:23 this morning, the failure occurred just east of Embarcadero Station; the first five cars of a nine-car train separated from the last four. The driver of the front segment motored the train out of the tunnel at 6:55 a.m. A second driver took the stranded four-car segment out at 7:05. No injuries have yet been reported; Allison notes that a failsafe mechanism automatically engaged the brakes when train became decoupled.
-
Email to Friend
Write to Editor
Print Article
