MOORPARK : Cause of Metrolink Derailment Remains Unknown

Metrolink officials said Wednesday that they had not determined why the last train into Moorpark Tuesday night derailed as it attempted to move onto a side track to allow a freight train traveling in the opposite direction to pass.

The Metrolink train was approaching the Moorpark Station at less than 10 m.p.h. when the front wheels of its locomotive derailed near the intersection of East Los Angeles Avenue and Spring Road about 7:45 p.m. The derailment occurred at a switching mechanism designed to move the train onto a side track, said David Solow, deputy executive director of Metrolink.

None of the Metrolink train’s 18 passengers was injured, Solow said.

Solow said the train was moving aside to allow a Southern Pacific Transportation Co. freight train to pass. The freight train had to wait about four hours until the Metrolink train was put back onto the tracks and moved out of the way. No other trains were delayed Tuesday night and Metrolink was on schedule Wednesday morning, Solow said.

Solow said there was no evidence showing the manual switching mechanism was faulty, and Southern Pacific investigators determined Tuesday night that the switch was working properly, Solow said.

The derailed train was taken Tuesday night to a Los Angeles maintenance yard. It was immediately replaced with another train.

A train conductor must stop his train and activate the manual switch to pull the train off the main line and onto a side track. Southern Pacific crews began work early this week to install the new automated switching mechanism. Solow said he expected work to be completed in about a week.