Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is moving forward with a critical preventative maintenance effort to protect the system from trees that could be knocked down into the trackway during severe weather. The program will result in more than 200 trees being removed or cut back along multiple service lines, marking the largest hazardous tree removal effort in BART’s history.
The trees with the greatest potential to impact BART will be removed well before winter storms arrive in the Bay Area. In 2022, tree failure derailed two trains and delayed train service a minimum of seven times. BART says thousands of riders were delayed during those incidents but none resulted in injuries.
The tree removal work starts in July and will continue into November. More tree removal work is expected in 2024 but details are still being finalized.
During bus bridge weekends, BART will deploy additional crews to perform track improvement work. The work will include replacing worn rail, destressing rail, so it can better cope with extreme temperatures, brightening stations and other maintenance projects.
The ongoing identification and removal of hazardous trees will be required yearly to continue to mitigate risks of tree failure impacting service and endangering public safety.
The full list of service impacts during the tree removal process can be found at BART’s website.
