2 Train Accidents Delay Commuters

A Union Pacific train derailed and another smashed into an abandoned car in separate accidents that delayed Wednesday’s morning commute for thousands of Southern Californians.

Two freight cars in a Union Pacific train jumped the tracks about midnight Tuesday in San Dimas, apparently because a switch that controls the direction of trains was broken, said Union Pacific spokesman Mike Furtney.

No one was reported injured and track damage was minor, said Peter Hidalgo, spokesman for the Metrolink commuter rail system.

Metrolink’s San Bernardino to Los Angeles service, used by an average of 8,000 people daily, was out of service until 7 a.m., he said.

Los Angeles-bound passengers were directed to alternate routes, carpools and buses.

The cargo in the derailed cars was not immediately known, but no hazardous materials were aboard, Furtney said.

In the second incident, a Union Pacific freight train smashed into an abandoned car left on the tracks about 4 a.m. in Acton, 50 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.

There were no injuries and the tracks were cleared 90 minutes later. But Metrolink service between Lancaster and Los Angeles was delayed by 45 minutes, affecting about 4,000 people who use the route daily, Hidalgo said.