BART reports major delays in East Bay because of power, ventilation problems

ORINDA, Calif. - It was not Friday light in terms of commuting — at least for anyone who wanted to get to work on BART.  

BART reported two major delays before 7 a.m. Friday morning for trains on its Antioch line because of problems in two different locations along the line.   

A power problem delayed service about 5:30 a.m. between the North Concord and Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre stations, with County Connection buses providing mutual aid during the service disruption.   

That same area shut down for hours earlier in the week because of a nearby grass fire. And this same line is still dealing with repairs from a train derailment last month. 

BART crews were able to restore service in 20 minutes.

But about 6 a.m., there was a new problem: A ventilation issue in the Caldecott Tunnel between the Orinda and Rockridge stations.   

BART spokeswoman Anna Duckworth said as of about 6:15 a.m. that there was no service between the two stations and that the agency was working to set up bus shuttles for riders. And BART's website said that commuters should seek alternative modes of transportation.

As a result, there was a long line of commuters at the Orinda station, for example, waiting to get on buses set up at the BART station. 

However, just after 7 a.m., the second problem was fixed and trains were up and running.