BART begins recovering from major computer failure; Trains running again

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A major failure of the BART computer system shut down trains for nearly an hour early Thursday, triggering delays and leaving thousands of commuters scrambling to find another way to work.

Transportation officials alerted commuters to the problem via social media around 5:15 a.m.

"There is a major delay system wide due to a computer failure," BART officials said. "Please seek alternate forms of transportation at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience. Mutual aid is being provided by MUNI, AC Transit, Contra Costa Connection and Sam Trans at this time."

At 5:48 a.m., transit officials tweeted the tech glitch had been repaired and trains were running again.

"BART is recovering from an earlier problem. Train service has resumed systemwide. Expect major delays in service system wide due to an earlier computer failure."

Officials said engineers began scrambling to fix the glitch around 4:45 a.m.

"We apologize to our early morning riders for the disruption in service caused by a computer issue that started at 4:45 am," system officials said. "Our computer system engineers were able to troubleshoot and get trains running at 5:45am."

Traffic on the Bay Bridge began to back up earlier than normal as commuters hit the roadways instead of taking BART. Among the commuters stranded by the early morning computer glitch was Joseph Martin.

"It will add another couple hours to my commute," he told KPIX as he prepared to depart from a closed BART station. "I have to go home and get a car. Drive to work and then the traffic will add another couple hours to my day."

Officials have not released any details about the computer failure or just how long the delays were.