SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Several BART stations in the East Bay were closed Thursday morning due to a network computer problem.

The transit agency issued an alert about the problem at around 10:10 a.m., and all stations between Hayward and Berryessa/North San Jose were closed. Those stations have since reopened.

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Before noon, service resumed at three of the southernmost stations, Warm Springs, Milpitas and Berryessa in northern San Jose. The Hayward, South Hayward, Union City and Fremont stations remained closed.

“We saw that almost all the gates were closed and people were just getting off. So we asked (an employee), ‘Oh, what’s going on?’ They said, ‘Oh, the buses and trains are shut down, something happened to the computers,'” said passenger Mike Lee of San Jose.

BART officials told ABC7 that their system experienced a network computer failure.

“One of the reasons we don’t run trains is this over-protection on safety,” said BART spokesman Chris Filippi. “If anything compromises the train control system, we have to respond and make sure it’s working properly, because that’s the only way we can avoid collisions of any kind on the system.”

This latest problem comes nearly two weeks after an electrical fire forced the closure of several BART stations in Oakland.

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The consequences of these closures resulted in delays in operations lasting several days.

“They do seem to be separate issues, but when we provide a service that is not reliable and does not meet the expectations of our passengers, it is as much a disappointment for us as it is for them,” Filippi said.

Passengers affected by the recent closures have been encouraged to use other transport options and have been offered alternatives.

“There is mutual aid from AC Transit and VTA, which means they accept the BART fare,” Filippi said. “And there is also a bus bridge, an additional bus bridge that was put in place thanks to AC Transit. So we have more buses than usual running between those stations to help people.”

Nevertheless, it was a frustrating day for many passengers.

“I wanted to visit my family,” Lee said Thursday. “So there’s a chance I won’t be able to do it today and I’ll have to make it until tomorrow. That’s a little inconvenient. The real inconvenience for me is more that I had to come from the other side of town to get here.”