Heavy Rain Expected To Cause Delays in Bay Area Transit

As the Bay Area braces for a deluge of rain that could prove deadly this week, San Francisco officials warned of transit delays.

“We do expect some delays with our public transportation system in light of the heavy rains,” Mayor London Breed said at a press conference on Tuesday. “Our hope is to continue to make sure our trains and our buses are running on time as much as possible, but there will be delays.”

In an email to The Standard, BART officials wrote that the agency is readying sandbags, checking on pumps and clearing storm drains in preparation for the potentially historic storm on Wednesday. The agency also said it plans to have staff standing by at the stations that are most prone to flooding. 

BART also posted a video on Twitter advising riders to expect trains to run at slower speeds and to expect to wait longer in stations, also warning that stations may be more slippery than usual. Due to reduced acceleration and deceleration rates in wet weather, the system saw 20-minute delays on Tuesday.

“We don’t expect any station closures or changes to the schedule,” BART spokesperson James Allison wrote. 

Over the weekend, exits and elevators at several stations—including at Montgomery, Sansome and Sutter streets—were closed due to flooding amid major rain-related delays.

The city’s water agency is also calling on residents to clear out storm drains in preparation for the wet weather and spent Tuesday afternoon deploying storm barriers at Folsom and 17th streets.