Computer issue halts San Francisco Bay Area's BART system

BART, the San Francisco Bay Area's primary commuter rail, shut down systemwide Friday morning due to a computer issue, disrupting the commute for thousands. The shutdown, caused by a computer networking problem affecting the train control system, halted service for several hours before resuming shortly after 9 a.m. local time, impacting over 170,000 weekday passengers. The outage occurred as BART struggles to regain ridership post-pandemic, with passenger numbers still significantly below pre-COVID levels, forcing commuters to seek alternative transportation.