Car on tracks halts train in Glendale

A man whose car got stuck on train tracks Saturday at a rail crossing that’s closed for safety upgrades may have been driving drunk, according to police.

Officers on patrol spotted the vehicle stranded at a rail crossing at Broadway and Brazil Street, near San Fernando Road, at 1:48 a.m., according to Glendale police Sgt. Mark Hess.

Police put out a call to slow or stop train traffic in the area until a tow truck was able to remove the car at about 2:10 a.m., Hess said.

The incident delayed a southbound Union Pacific freight train that was a long distance away but stopped until the car was removed, Union Pacific spokesman Aaron Hunt said.

Police arrested Gukas Galadzhyan, 34, of North Hollywood on suspicion of driving under the influence, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

The crossing at Broadway and Brazil, located on the line between Glendale and Los Angeles, has been closed since June 21, said Rubik Golanian, Glendale’s acting public works director.

Metrolink and the two cities are working to install traffic signals and make other safety improvements, Metrolink spokesman Jeff Lustgarten said.

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Follow Joe Piasecki on Twitter: @JoePiasecki.

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