Oakland commuter trains briefly halted after poodle gets off car, disappears down tunnel

Runaway poodle disrupts Oakland commuter trains

OAKLAND, Calif. — A runaway poodle is to blame for a morning delay on some commuter trains in Oakland.

Bay Area Rapid Transit agency spokesman Linton Johnson said traffic heading in and out of the Lake Merritt station was halted for five to 10 minutes Thursday morning when the pooch got out of a train, jumped onto the tracks and ran down a tunnel.

Johnson says the dog appeared to be traveling on its own. No passengers were spotted pursuing it.

Transit police and BART station operators mounted an unsuccessful search for the wayward poodle. Johnson says it was last seen exiting the tracks above ground near West Oakland.

Johnson joked to the San Francisco Chronicle he hoped the dog at least had a ticket to ride.

Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, www.sfgate.com/chronicle