BART work crews repairing heat-related kink in track; delays expected during morning rush hour

CONCORD --  Working through through the night, BART crews raced to repair a heat-related kink in a stretch of track between Concord and Pleasant Hill that halted trains on the Antioch line during Tuesday's heat wave. 

Officials said early Wednesday that trains were running again, but to expect delays.

"We have restored train service between Concord and Pleasant Hill," the agency said in an email. "But service is reduced to one track because crews are still in the area and need the space afforded by single tracking to complete repairs, which we hope to finish later this morning."

By 6:30 a.m., the work was completed and both tracks reopened, but the system warned delays would linger.

Problems began early in the day Tuesday as temperatures began soaring to record triple digit levels. Trains were slowed to make sure the rails maintain their integrity under the heat-related onslaught.

Eventually, Concord would reach a blazing 112 degrees and then shortly before 5:45 p.m., an alert was issued that service had stopped on its Yellow line to its Antioch station because of an equipment problem on a track.

BART spokesperson Chris Filippi said in a press announcement that a dangerous kink had developed on the tracks between Pleasant Hill and Concord.

Trains were halted and thousands of commuters were forced to use bus bridges.

Jenea Mitchell and Kaitlyn Schaefer were among the passengers stranded.

"The biggest in convenience is just wanting to get home for dinner," Mitchell said as she stood in line for a bus. "And the heat."

"It's really hot," Schaefer added. "I'm more calm now that I know someone is coming to get me." 

Filippi posted on social media that the hot weather had  "also overheated wayside equipment, which prevented BART from providing single track service." 

"Our crews will take advantage of cooler overnight temperatures and resurface the track to correct the alignment and restore service in time for the morning's commute."

The segment of BART's Antioch line between Pleasant Hill and Concord has had various problems in recent months, including a partial train derailment in June due to a curve in the track that the agency blamed on hot weather.