Repairs to BART’s Oakland Airport Connector will slow service

BART’s Oakland Airport Connector service will run every 18 minutes instead of every six for at least two days this week while maintenance work is done. BART’s Oakland Airport Connector service will run every 18 minutes instead of every six for at least two days this week while maintenance work is done. Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle / Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle / Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 19 Caption Close Repairs to BART’s Oakland Airport Connector will slow service 1 / 19 Back to Gallery

BART service connecting Oakland International Airport and the Coliseum Station will be delayed up to 12 minutes for at least two days this week as workers complete a maintenance project.

Travelers taking the Oakland Airport Connector should carve out a little extra travel time on Tuesday and Wednesday when trains will be arriving arriving every 18 minutes, rather than at the usual six-minute intervals, BART officials said.

The work is expected to be finished Thursday.

“We apologize for the inconvenience this will cause you and appreciate your patience while we perform this important maintenance work,” BART officials said in a statement announcing the delays.

The link between BART’s main system and the airport has been a much-welcomed service for Bay Area travelers, who for decades took bus shuttles between the Coliseum Station and the airport.

The $484 million cable-pulled train system opened in November 2014, and costs riders $6 to cruise along the 3.2 miles of newly built track.

But much like the larger, custom-built transit system, the airport connector has not been without problems.

Weeks after opening, the connector had to be taken out of service for nearly a day, after one of several mechanical problems the connector has experienced.

The system has operated smoothly for more than a year without any major problems.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky