ORINDA, Calif. — An error that sent the train onto the wrong track at an interlocking preceded Monday’s derailment of a Bay Area Rapid Transit train, according to a BART narrative of events that led to the derailment of two cars and a fire.
Nine people were injured in the incident about 9 a.m. on New Year’s Day, which disrupted Yellow Line operations in the East Bay for the remainder of the day [see “Nine injured as BART train derails,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 1, 2023].
The incident was preceded by a loss of communications between the computer that manages BART track systems and the area near the Orinda station, including an interlocking between the Orinda and Lafayette stations. With that system down, BART’s Operations Control Center instructed the operator of the approaching eight-car, Antioch-bound train that the interlocking would need to be manually aligned for straight-through operation. After leaving the train to perform the alignment, the operator returned and began to move the train in manual mode through the interlocking — but reported to the control center that instead of going straight, the train began crossing over to the opposite track.
The control center, after halting all trains in the area, told the operator to move to the control cab at the opposite end of the train and reverse the direction of travel to clear the interlocking and allow for a correct alignment for straight-through movement. It was during this move that the train derailed, causing electrical arcing that led to the fire. The operator reported the fire at 9:05 a.m. and began walking through the train to evacuate passengers; the Orinda police and fire departments responded and helped evacuate the 100 to 150 people on board and extinguish the fire. By 9:23, the control center was told all those on board had been safely evacuated.
BART’s report says the track where the incident occurred, including the interlocking, was recently replaced and is in good order. The train control system is undergoing a modernization as part of the implementation of Communications Based Train Control, a project described here.
BART continues its investigation into the incident and has until 60 days after the incident to submit a report to the California Public Utilities Commission.
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