BART admits much of system is at 'end of its useful life' in shockingly honest Tweet

BART workers stand ready to guide commuters to a bus-bridge as the transit agency heads into its second day of delays and halted service due to a track problem in the East Bay. BART workers stand ready to guide commuters to a bus-bridge as the transit agency heads into its second day of delays and halted service due to a track problem in the East Bay. Photo: Hamed Aleaziz Photo: Hamed Aleaziz Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close BART admits much of system is at 'end of its useful life' in shockingly honest Tweet 1 / 30 Back to Gallery

When BART announced that an electrical glitch was disrupting service yesterday, disgruntled passengers took to Twitter, throwing out complaints. The transit system responded with shocking honesty.

The conversation started when BART first announced the power surge that knocked some 25 trains out of service yesterday afternoon.

All our efforts are focused on resolving the electrical issues right now- apologies for all the trouble. We're working on it. — SFBART (@SFBART) March 17, 2016

BART is notorious for its inconsistent service, and as you might expect someone shot back with a snarky remark.

.@SFBART how much does one need to apologize before one realizes they truly offer a terrible service and should no longer apologize? — CHRISTOPHER CHAPPEL (@shakatron) March 17, 2016

And then another.

.@SFBART we've come to expect rush-hour equipment problems and train delays from you. what you're saying is that today ends with '-day' — CHRISTOPHER CHAPPEL (@shakatron) March 17, 2016

BART's response was shockingly honest and they offered up no excuses — except the fact that their system is old, tired and at the end of its legs.

@shakatron BART was built to transport far fewer people, and much of our system has reached the end of its useful life. This is our reality. — SFBART (@SFBART) March 17, 2016

The conversation around a system riddled with delays and breakdowns took off. BART wasn't afraid to jump in, and here's a taste of what unfolded.

@SFBART well I'm sick of paying $12a day for a crappy ride. Can't wait for new trains with less seats w/same old tracks. Stand 50 min! — Marilyn Droukas (@MarilynDroukas) March 17, 2016

@MarilynDroukas We plan on taking our fleet to 1,081 train cars from today's 669 - that's a massive increase in seats systemwide. 49%. — SFBART (@SFBART) March 17, 2016

@SFBART @MarilynDroukas will the tracks be able to handle increase? If maintenance/system can't keep up now, what's the point? — Bethany Girod (@BGRod10) March 17, 2016

@SFBART @MarilynDroukas will the tracks be able to handle increase? If maintenance/system can't keep up now, what's the point? — Bethany Girod (@BGRod10) March 17, 2016

@BGRod10 The steel we're installing is harder than the original - our rail cars are very light. We get a lot of life out of our rail. — SFBART (@SFBART) March 17, 2016

BART's service issues began on Wednesday morning and continued as of 7:30 a.m. on Thursday. Maintenance crews have been working around the clock to resolve the problem.

Related story: BART commuter chaos continues as East Bay stations remain closed