BART riders finding other options this holiday weekend

OAKLAND (KTVU) - BART has 80,000 people who ride the trains between San Francisco and the East Bay on a typical weekend.

Those riders are being forced to find alternatives this weekend, due to the Transbay Tube closure for track maintenance.

BART is running about 70 buses this holiday weekend across the bay, officials said.

There were 120 buses last month, when BART closed the tube for repairs. But BART says it ordered fewer buses this time around, because not many people used the service in August.

It took buses about 20 minutes one-way to travel between the 19th Street station in Oakland, and the temporary Transbay Terminal in San Francisco.

BART told passengers Saturday morning, "if you're going to the airport or you're in a time crunch, make sure you add in an extra hour to get where you need to be," said BART spokesman, Taylor Huckaby

BART closed the tube, to replace new tracks along the system, which BART said, will speed up rides, make them smoother and less noisy.

BART will also be able to move trains around more easy, if there is a delay on a track.

BART riders were asked to take public transit to lessen the traffic around the Bay Area.A popular alternative is the ferries. San Francisco Bay Ferry is adding extra service this weekend to help pick up the slack.

During the first tube shutdown, ridership on the Alameda-Oakland-San Francisco route rose 24-percent.

More traffic is also expected on local highways and bridges, including the Bay Bridge, Richmond-San Rafael and San Mateo-Hayward Bridges.

BART says repair work is on time, and expects regular service to resume by 4 a.m. Tuesday, for the morning commute.