When the taxpayers agreed to help pay for the extension of BART service into the South Bay, they no doubt expected they would be getting a brand new transit system.

But the project has suffered another delay after testing of the system turned up hundreds of what are being described as “used parts.”

The actual construction of the new South Bay BART extension, which includes new stations in Milpitas at Berryessa in San Jose is largely complete, but don’t expect to be riding the system any time soon.

Already beset by delays, the extension of BART from Fremont to San Jose has hit a new snag. The discovery of hundreds of switches and routers obtained and long-since installed by a subcontractor are not what the project calls for and must be replaced, says the VTA’s Bernice Alanize.

“Some of the communications equipment was not installed as specified and rather than the installation of new parts, there were some parts that were used, previously,” Alanize said.

VTA says those used parts are not involved in the control of tracks or trains but are networking parts, used in communications for the control of things like station lights, doors, the P.A. system, and closed-circuit TV.

The discovery was made back in June and only now made public.

“There is a very extensive system of quality assurance and this was part of us working with the contractor,” Alanize said. “As various aspects of the system were completed, there is a period of time when the work is accepted and as a part of that, this was discovered during that testing.”

At least 1,100 switches and routers must be replaced. The parts alone cost just over $1 million.  

“We are looking at the whole chain of supply and once we determine the exact source of these, the board will make a decision how to proceed,” Alanize said.

Until now, the extension was supposed to be ready for riders by this fall.

Riders will now have to wait until next fall, or possibly later.

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