BART is touting a recent boost in on-time performance, citing 94.2% from April through June and 93.3% from July through September as proof that the system is running a bit tighter these days. The agency credits an operational shift: it no longer slows trains during wet weather, which it describes as having been the single biggest source of delays. BART also says riders will get a fresh look at the numbers when the September–December performance report lands later this month.
BART's numbers and the claim
According to BART, passenger on-time performance climbed to 94.2% in the April–June quarter, then settled at 93.3% from July through September. The agency directly links those gains to its decision to end reduced-speed operations during rain. In its post, BART calls that shift the removal of the system's largest cause of delays and says a September–December update will arrive later this month. For now, the agency is framing the improvement as the result of an engineering and operations fix rather than any quiet reworking of the schedule.
BART’s passenger on time performance has seen some big gains recently.
— BART (@SFBART) February 4, 2026
July-Sept: 93.3%
April-June: 94.2%
The Sept-Dec update will be out later this month.
Now that BART no longer runs trains at reduced speed during wet weather, we have eliminated the largest cause of delays.
Rain was the biggest drag on reliability
An independent analysis by The San Francisco Standard found that rainy weather was responsible for roughly 40% of BART slowdowns and accounted for more than 35,000 delays over a two-year span. That reporting draws on a BART blog post explaining that a new braking system reduces wheel lock and wheel slip on wet rails, which is the technical reason BART now says it can keep trains at normal speeds when it rains. If that equipment upgrade performs as advertised, riders could see fewer long, weather-driven hits to the schedule.
What riders should expect
BART says the practical effect should be fewer slow, sloggy trips during storms, though the agency is careful to note that this change will not eliminate every service interruption. In its post, BART wrote that ending reduced-speed rules removed what it described as "the largest cause of delays," and it points to the upcoming quarterly report to show whether the higher on-time rate actually holds, according to BART. Riders who want to see if the fix has real staying power will have to wait until the September–December data is released later this month.
Other problems remain
The Standard's analysis also highlights equipment failures, police activity, and people on the tracks as ongoing reasons trains run late, which means solving the wet-weather issue may only move the reliability needle so far. The outlet notes that BART is dealing with budget pressures that make broader fixes harder to implement, and that many delays pile up in the early morning, when staffing and equipment challenges collide. The upcoming quarterly report will show whether the braking upgrade delivers a lasting improvement across the system or just a welcome, but limited, assist.
