Official says commuter train ran signal in Rialto

— A Metrolink commuter train ran a red signal before sideswiping a freight train that was easing onto a side track, and investigators are looking at brake problems or human error as possible causes of the incident, a federal investigator said Friday.

No serious injuries were reported but Thursday's incident stirred still-vivid memories of a deadly train collision in the region in September.

New safety procedures were put in place after that train crash killed 25 people and was attributed to the failure of a Metrolink engineer to stop at a red light so an oncoming Union Pacific train could go by.

In Thursday's incident, the eastbound commuter train carrying 15 passengers and crew failed to stop at a red light about 150 feet from the spot where it hit the rear cars of an oncoming westbound BNSF freight train, said Ted Turpin, an investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board.

Turpin said the four-car Metrolink train had nearly come to a halt before the incident, and the red signal appeared to have been working.

Turpin said two engineers on the Metrolink train took note of yellow signals earlier on the route but the train didn't stop before the BNSF freight had eased onto a side track.

After passing the yellow signal, an engineer "attempted to stop the train and didn't stop before reaching the signal," Turpin told The Associated Press.

Investigators are focusing on human error or brake problems as possible causes, he said.

Four people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Rialto is about 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

Francisco Oaxaca, a spokesman for Metrolink, declined comment on the ongoing investigation.

The incident came about 10 weeks after the deadliest crash in Metrolink history. On Sept. 12, a Metrolink train and Union Pacific freight collided head-on in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles. Both trains were going about 40 mph.

Investigators have said the engineer, Robert Sanchez, was sending text messages before the impact.


