California IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Gas Odor Closes Busy BART Station

The trouble-plagued Bay Area Rapid Transit suffered another blow Saturday when service at one of San Francisco’s busiest stations was halted for nearly an hour while fire officials investigated reports of a strong gas smell. The Embarcadero station was closed for about 55 minutes while fire officials unsuccessfully tried to find the source of the smell. Thousands of holiday shoppers from communities east of San Francisco had to turn around, wait or find other transportation to downtown department stores. On Thursday, a commuter train derailed in Oakland, injuring 14 passengers. On Monday, an electrical fire at the West Oakland station delayed trains for about an hour. On Tuesday, the Berkeley BART station was closed for two hours when a motorist knocked over a fire hydrant above the electrical substation that powers the station.