Freight Train Derailment Disrupts L.A.-San Diego Line Passenger Service
Amtrak passenger service was disrupted for several hours Thursday because of a freight train derailment that occurred when engineers tried to avoid hitting a man, officials said.
The 5 a.m. accident blocked the main line used for Amtrak’s Los Angeles-to-San Diego service, said Santa Fe spokesman Mike Martin in Los Angeles.
Passengers were shuttled by bus between San Juan Capistrano and Oceanside to circumvent the derailment, causing about an hour delay for the travelers, Amtrak officials said.
Cranes were brought in to lift the loaded flat cars, which had remained upright, back onto the track. The main line was cleared by 11 a.m., Martin said.
The man on the tracks, Raymundo Marquez, 21, suffered a foot injury but it was not immediately clear if he was struck by the Santa Fe freight train, said Martin.
Marquez was in fair condition at Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside after undergoing surgery, a hospital spokeswoman said.
There were no other injuries. Damage to the train from the low-speed derailment of four flatbed cars was $1,550, Martin said.
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