SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Weary San Francisco commuters faced gridlock for a third straight day today as rail workers continued a strike that has caused chaotic commutes and, according to some estimates, millions of dollars in lost worker productivity.

Despite renewed talks, the Bay Area Rapid Transit agency and its two largest unions representing train workers failed to reach a labor agreement, setting the table for a third straight day of no train service on the nation’s 5th largest rail system.

Talks resumed Tuesday after political pressure mounted for a settlement. The governor sent two of the state’s top mediators — the chair of the Public Employment Relations Board and the chief of the State Mediation and Conciliation Service — to facilitate further talks.

A letter from Democratic state officials said the strike has caused “widespread personal hardship and severe economic disruption,” and it noted they were disappointed “about the lack of productive proposals and counterproposals in the days leading up to the strike.”

Commutes in the region were thrown into chaos when the strike began early Monday after talks with management broke down. BART carries passengers from the farthest reaches of San Francisco’s densely populated eastern suburbs to San Francisco International Airport across the bay.

Freeways have choked to a standstill. Lines for ferry service tripled, boats were crammed to standing-room only and ridership on Caltrain increased.

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