BART Preps for Weekend Maintenance to the Oakland Wye
Just a quick reminder that BART will be working on the Oakland wye this weekend, so trains from San Francisco won’t run beyond West Oakland station. BART will run a free bus bridge between West Oakland and 19th Street Station, where riders can transfer back to trains to reach all other East Bay destinations.
This tweet from the agency explains:
Streetsblog did a quick tour of the maintenance site in Jack London where BART is already staging equipment. Apparently, this weekend they plan to replace a switch in the wye, which is where the trains from San Francisco slow down before turning towards Richmond and Pittsburgh/Bay Point, or Dublin/Pleasanton and Warm Springs. They have additional rails and concrete ties piled up to replace the adjoining tracks in the wye as well.
As previously reported, switches wear out much faster than other sections of track, so this is important work. Parts of the wye will also be closed on the weekend of August 25-26, Labor Day Weekend, and the weekend of September 22-23, although according to BART there’s a chance they’ll finish early and they may cancel that final weekend.
According to a BART release, the work should also help reduce noise levels from trains. They will also be replacing electrical and train control equipment, drainage, and they will trim trees that hang over the tracks.
The San Francisco Chronicle, meanwhile, has some additional information on the impact to sports fans trying to get to games. Note that the Chronicle, at the time of this posting, has a map of the closures that shows Lake Merritt station and 12th Street/Oakland City Center stations closed. Streetsblog double checked with Anna Duckworth, Communications Officer for BART, and those stations will remain open, there just won’t be service to and from West Oakland and the West Bay, except via the bus bridge at 19th.
Be sure to post below about your experiences riding BART this weekend and what alternate transportation you’ll be using (ferry, bike from West Oakland BART, bus, etc).
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