SAN BRUNO — No less than 13 individuals had been injured Thursday after a Caltrain collided with one of many company’s personal autos and erupted into flames in San Bruno, in keeping with authorities.
The crash occurred about 10:38 a.m. Thursday when southbound prepare #506 struck a Caltrain electrification upkeep automobile close to Scott Avenue, stated Caltrain spokesperson Jeremy Lipps. The prepare operator, 4 prepare passengers and the motive force of the electrification automobile had been taken to a hospital with accidents that weren’t thought of to be life-threatening. An extra seven individuals had been handled on the scene, Lipps stated. Emergency personnel reported to the scene and trains had been held on each tracks.
Photographs of the crash circulated on social media Thursday confirmed the entrance of the prepare engulfed in flames, although they had been later extinguished, in keeping with Caltrain’s Twitter account. There have been about 75 passengers on the prepare on the time of the crash.
Main Caltrain service disruptions had been anticipated to persist “indefinitely,” Lipps stated in an interview Thursday afternoon. He added: “We’ll be there within the morning, however with what stage of service, we don’t know.”
The Nationwide Transportation Security Board, in the meantime, has opened an investigation into the crash.
“Our deepest ideas and sympathies are with all those that had been injured right now,” stated Caltrain Appearing Government Director Michelle Bouchard in an announcement. “Caltrain’s core values have at all times prioritized the security of our passengers, staff and the communities we serve, and we're deeply upset that these requirements weren't met right now. We now have a protracted historical past of offering protected and dependable service and we're dedicated to working intently with the NTSB and different regulators to find out the reason for right now’s incident. We are going to restore full Caltrain service as shortly and safely as attainable.”
Shortly earlier than 3 p.m., trains had been operating between San Francisco and South San Francisco in addition to from San Jose’s Tamien Station to Millbrae. Passengers searching for a connection between the Millbrae and South San Francisco stations had been being provided a SamTrans bus bridge. BART was additionally offering mutual assist.
In a information launch Thursday evening, Caltrain stated it deliberate to supply bus-bridge service between the South San Francisco and Millbrae stations till at the least 4 p.m. Friday. For the remainder of the system, the company will proceed to function underneath its common weekday schedule, however passengers touring to and from these stations ought to count on service delays because of the bus-bridge, in keeping with Caltrain.
San Bruno Fireplace Division, which responded to the collision, referred to it as a second-alarm fireplace. Authorities stated that there have been twenty-five items on the scene with a complete of 60 personnel responding to the incident.
Caltrain quickly halted work on its electrification challenge to “make sure that all applicable security protocols are in place” earlier than the work resumes, in keeping with Lipps.
