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 evening, said Chris Gutierrez, a spokesman for Metrolink.
The accident happened at 6:22 p.m., about 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 a crossing — so it was in an area where a pedestrian should not have been approaching the tracks, said Gutierrez, who could not immediately provide a more specific location.
The train stopped after the collision and first responders were summoned, but the victim was dead at the scene.
Passengers were kept on the train while an evaluation was made of whether the terrain allowed for a safe evacuation. The initial decision was to hold them on board, but by 8 p.m., officials decided passengers could disembark.
Metrolink provided passengers a $50 rideshare voucher to help them get to their destinations.
The train had to remain in place longer.
“Essentially the train is now part of an investigation,” Gutierrez said, “which is why we can’t move it until they complete their investigation.”
In that area, the line is a single track, preventing the passage of trains in either direction. Within the first two hours of the fatal collision, four other trains had been affected.
Early in the evening, Metrolink was evaluating whether and when service could be resumed on part of the route.
Ticketed passengers on other affected trains also are being offered rideshare vouchers.
Metrolink is providing updates about the status of the service on its website and its X social media account:
Lancaster police are investigating the incident.