The Bay Area has been experiencing a heat wave the last couple of days. From panting pets to sweaty sleepers, everything's affected by the heat -- including BART.

On Monday, when records were broken throughout the region, a section of track near Daly City BART was warped by the heat, resulting in problems with rail-anchoring clips that caused delays of up to 20 minutes. BART Chief Spokesperson Linton Johnson provides some background:

"The heat often wreaks havoc on  our AC units. It affects our switches and  it affects our trackside computer equipment.  Our equipment is old.  Most of it has been around since BART train service began 36 years ago. It doesn't help that these days we are carrying a near-record number of riders on an ever-aging fleet."

"To deal with the heat we schedule every available worker we can to work on hot days so we have plenty of people to pounce on a problem," he adds. Johnson suggests that on extra hot days, passengers take a train or two earlier than they normally would if they have a sensitive connection to make such as an airline flight.

Other tips for keeping your cool on BART include:

* Try moving to another car, since conditions may be better there. (As savvy rider @gpenston, who sent the Twitter message above, notes!) Climate control in each car is independent, and automated, so the temperature can't be adjusted by an individual train operator.

* Follow safety rules such as not holding doors open, which can damage the equipment and cause delays.

* Practice courtesy such as moving to the center of the car so others can board, and clearing specially designated seats for seniors and people with disabilities.

* Remember eating or drinking are never allowed on the train or in paid areas of the station. On a hot day that food you are tempted to eat could be extra smelly and nauseating to your neighbor.

* Be mindful of others' personal space -- always a good idea but especially so on a hot day when close quarters can make for uncomfortable conditions. 

For some anecdotes about things people saw and heard during the heat wave on BART, check out our "Seen and Heard on BART" feature at www.bart.gov/seen.