BART halts Transbay Tube trains between West Oakland and 24th Street Mission amid network issue

Service interruption hits a key cross-bay corridor during the morning commute

BART service through the Transbay Tube was disrupted Thursday morning, Feb. 26, 2026, stopping trains between West Oakland and San Francisco’s 24th Street Mission Station. The interruption affected cross-bay travel during commute hours and prompted riders to seek alternatives across the Bay Bridge and through San Francisco’s surface transit network.

BART identified the cause as a network engineering problem and said crews were working to restore service. No immediate estimate was provided for when normal operations would resume.

Which lines and stations were affected

The outage halted rail service in the segment spanning West Oakland and 24th Street Mission, cutting off through-running across the Tube for impacted lines. For riders, the disruption effectively severed the rail link between Oakland and downtown San Francisco and forced transfers or alternate modes for trips to and from the East Bay.

During the disruption, BART staff at East Bay stations directed some riders toward other regional options, including ferries and buses, depending on destination and availability.

• Primary impact: No BART trains operating through the Transbay Tube between West Oakland and 24th Street Mission.

• Commute effects: Crowding on platforms, longer travel times, and trip cancellations for some riders.

Mutual aid and alternate travel options

In San Francisco, Muni provided limited mutual aid through downtown stations to help move riders during the interruption. Riders also relied on other cross-bay options, including AC Transit transbay bus service and the San Francisco Bay Ferry system, both of which typically see increased demand when Tube service is unavailable.

The disruption added strain to corridors that already operate near capacity during peak periods, particularly the Bay Bridge approaches and downtown San Francisco transfer points.

A second major Tube disruption in less than a week

Thursday’s outage came days after a separate Transbay Tube shutdown that began Sunday afternoon, Feb. 22, 2026, when BART suspended Tube service because of a loss of communications. Service was restored early Monday, Feb. 23, after overnight work.

Together, the back-to-back interruptions underscore the operational stakes of the Transbay Tube, BART’s most critical bottleneck and the core rail connection between San Francisco and the East Bay.

For many riders, the Tube is the system’s single most consequential segment: when it closes, cross-bay travel shifts rapidly to buses, ferries, and roadway congestion.

What riders should watch for next

BART typically returns service in stages after major disruptions, with residual delays as trains and crews are repositioned. Riders impacted Thursday were advised to monitor official service advisories for restoration timing, line-by-line changes, and station conditions. In the meantime, commuters planning cross-bay trips faced the practical challenge of finding available capacity on alternate services during peak demand.