Metrolink passengers delayed
As many as 10,000 Metrolink commuter rail passengers endured delays of up to about 90 minutes Wednesday night because of a breakdown of a train-switching system at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, officials said.
The mechanical problems also delayed four Amtrak trains, carrying about 950 passengers to and from Los Angeles, for more than an hour each.
Denise Tyrrell, a spokeswoman for Metrolink, said the switching system breakdown occurred at 4:50 p.m. and shut down three of the five tracks out of Union Station. She said trains kept moving but major backups lasted until 9 p.m.
“This happened right smack in rush hour, right in the busiest terminal in Southern California. It couldn’t have been worse timing,” Tyrrell said.
Metrolink officials said they did not know the cause, but that they expected to have the repairs made by this morning.
stuart.silverstein@latimes.com
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