Accident Strands 1,700 Metrolink Riders
Seventeen freight cars loaded with steel derailed Wednesday, blocking the Metrolink train tracks and leaving 1,700 commuters stranded.
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe train jumped the tracks about 3:15 a.m. near Cridge Street and Olivewood Avenue, spilling more than 2,200 tons of steel. There were no injuries, Sgt. Dean Phameuf said.
Cleanup crews were expected to be on the scene for 24 hours.
Metrolink operates 11 trains a day on its Inland Empire-Orange County line. They were all canceled, said spokesman Peter Hidalgo. He estimated that 1,700 people use the 11 trains each day.
Hidalgo said service on the route, which runs from San Bernardino to Irvine, should be partially restored by today and completely back to normal Friday.
Investigators have not determined the cause of the accident, but Burlington spokesman Jerry Jenkins said it could have been a faulty wheel on one of the cars.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
