A pedestrian died Saturday night after being struck by a Metrolink train between the Lancaster and Palmdale stations.
About 70 passengers were stranded on the train for more than 90 minutes during the initial phase of the investigation, and travel on the rail route between Lancaster and Union Station in downtown Los Angeles continued to be disrupted well into the night, Chris Gutierrez said. , a Metrolink spokesperson.
The accident occurred at 6:22 p.m., approximately 11 minutes after the scheduled departure of Train 1282 from the Palmdale station, with arrival at Union Station scheduled for 8:20 p.m.
The incident did not occur at an intersection, so it was in an area where a pedestrian should not have approached the tracks, said Gutierrez, who could not immediately provide a more specific location.
The train stopped after the collision and first responders were called, but the victim was dead at the scene.
Passengers remained on the train while it was assessed whether the terrain allowed for safe evacuation. The initial decision was to keep them on board, but at 8 p.m. the officials decided that the passengers could disembark.
Metrolink provided riders with a $50 rideshare voucher to help them get to their destinations.
The train had to stay in place longer.
“Basically, the train is now part of an investigation,” Gutierrez said, “so we can't move it until they complete their investigation.”
In that area, the line is single track, preventing the passage of trains in both directions. In the first two hours after the fatal collision, four other trains were affected.
By early afternoon, Metrolink was evaluating if and when service could resume on part of the route.
Passengers with tickets on other affected trains are also being offered rideshare vouchers.
Metrolink provides updates on service status on its website and its X social media account:
Lancaster police are investigating the incident.
