Substation fire shuts down South Hayward BART station for an evening
Mar 2022Published 6 Oct 2026
Estimated damage ModelledFigure hidden: shown to subscribersLow confidencesupply cut for •• daysSee the figure: 14 days freeFull estimateHow? Know the real figure?
What happened
On the evening of Tuesday 1 March 2022, a fire at an electrical substation shut down the South Hayward BART station in Hayward, the agency said. At around 8 p.m. BART said there was an electrical problem on the track, causing a major delay. AC Transit bus line 99 provided alternative service between the Hayward, South Hayward and Union City stations. At about 9:10 p.m. BART said the Hayward station was open for normal train service. The report does not say what caused the fire, which equipment was involved, how long the South Hayward station itself stayed closed, or whether anyone was hurt.
Lessons learned
- A fault at a traction substation can stop train service, so operators should have a rehearsed way to move passengers while power is out.
- Bus bridging between nearby stations, as used here, can limit disruption during a short outage.
- The cause of a substation fire should be established and shared so similar equipment can be checked.
Source
Published 2026-10-06. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.