Big Rig Busts Through Center Divider, Lands On Gold Line Tracks
PASADENA (CBSLA.com) — Disruptions on the Metro Gold Line along the eastbound Foothill (210) Freeway are expected to last well into Friday after a big rig skidded through a guardrail and onto the Metro Gold Line's tracks Thursday.
The crash was first reported at 4:40 a.m. east of San Gabriel Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol. One motorist was injured.
A big rig and a Nissan Altima collided in the area, leaving the truck sitting upright on the Gold Line tracks, and the Altima overturned. The driver of the Altima complained of pain to her arms and chest area and she was taken to Huntington Memorial Hospital for evaluation, according to the CHP.
The crash prompted the closure of the carpool lane and the Gold Line tracks on the freeway, Metro spokesman Rick Jager said. Service was later extended up to the Allen station.
Officers closed the carpool lane and the San Gabriel Boulevard onramp to the eastbound freeway while crews worked to clear the scene.
Gold line passengers angle for spot on bus after big rig crashes onto tracks halting train traffic. @KNX1070 pic.twitter.com/eSfbWAYmYI
— Margaret Carrero (@KNXmargaret) December 22, 2016
Although the semi-truck was removed from the tracks before 5 p.m., according to The Source, a Metro blog, the Gold Line would remain closed between the Allen and Sierra Madra Villa stations. Repairs will continue into Friday as Metro officials work to assess the extent of the damage to the Gold Line power supply system.
Until Gold Line service is restored, shuttle buses will run between the Allen and Sierra Madre Villa stations. Gold Line trains are operating from East L.A. up to the Allen Station, but that's where they turn around and come back. Trains are also operating from Azusa to the Sierra Madre Villa station.
Public transportation riders should consider using parallel bus service that runs along Colorado Boulevard on lines 180, 181 and 187, Jager said.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)