Bay Area Rapid Transit said 9 people were injured in the train derailment Monday morning and that a bus bridge is now in place.

According to BART, a bus bridge provided by AC Transit is now in place providing full bus service between Rockridge and Walnut Creek in both directions. Buses will make all station stops.

BART also said 9 people were transported to medical facilities for evaluation following this incident. Based on the initial report from first responders there were no major injuries. BART Police will be interviewing all people who were transported for evaluation

Jan 2

4:31 AM UPDATE: BART will be running normal train service today between Rockridge and Walnut Creek stations following overnight repairs and safety inspections in the area.

Partial train derailment near Orinda Station on January 1

Shortly after 9am on Monday, January 1, 2024, an east bound Yellow line train partially derailed between Orinda and Lafayette stations just outside the Orinda station.

Passengers were safely evacuated from the train and were escorted to Orinda Station by BART personnel. There are no reported injuries.

Two cars were reported to be on fire with smoke and the Orinda Fire Department responded and extinguished the flames.

The Orinda and Lafayette BART stations were closed and we are advising Yellow line riders to seek alternative transportation at this time.

BART has extra staff and BART Police at Orinda and Lafayette stations to help. T

here is currently no available bus bridge but staff is working to see if partner bus agencies are available.

BART Timelines on the Train Derailment:

9:21am Service Advisory posted: There is a major delay on the Antioch Line in the Antioch and SFO directions due to an equipment problem on a train.
9:28am Service Advisory posted: There is a major delay on the Antioch Line in the Antioch and SFO directions due to an equipment problem on a train between Orinda and Lafayette stations. Please seek alternate means of transportation.
10:15am Update: Shortly after 9am on Monday, January 1, 2024, an east bound Yellow line train partially derailed between Orinda and Lafayette stations just outside the Orinda station.Passengers were safely evacuated from the train and were escorted to Orinda Station by BART personnel. A number of people were transported to medical facilities for evaluation*. Based on those initial reports there were no major injuries. We are speaking with all first responders to get an accurate count of the number of people who were being evaluated.Two cars were reported to be on fire with smoke and the Orinda Fire Department responded and extinguished the flames.The Orinda and Lafayette BART stations were closed and we are advising Yellow line riders to seek alternative transportation at this time. There is no train service between Rockridge and Walnut Creek. There is currently no available bus bridge but staff is working to see if partner bus agencies are available.BART has extra staff and BART Police at Orinda and Lafayette stations to help.Other BART lines are not impacted.
11:15am update: BART has powered off the rails between Rockridge and Walnut Creek stations. All passengers that were on board trains in that section of track have been off-boarded. BART is working with partner bus agencies to establish a bus bridge but it is not yet in place.Only the Yellow line (between Walnut Creek and Rockridge is impacted). All other lines are running.A BART media spokesperson is at Orinda Station.
Noon update:A number of people were transported to medical facilities for evaluation following this incident. Based on those initial report from first responders there were no major injuries. We are speaking with all first responders to get an accurate count of the number of people who were being evaluated. A correction has been made below.
Noon update (injury update and correction): Nine people were transported to medical facilities for evaluation following this incident. Based on the initial report from first responders there were no major injuries. BART Police will be interviewing all people who were transported for evaluation. A correction has been made below.
12:30pm Update (Bus Bridge Available): A bus bridge provided by AC Transit is now in place providing full bus service between Rockridge and Walnut Creek in both directions. Buses will make all station stops.

2pm Update:

The derailment occurred at an interlocking located between the Orinda and Lafayette BART stations shortly after 9am. Just prior to the derailment, the train operator was instructed by the Operations Control Center to manually align the route at the interlocking because a signaling issue prevented the computer from doing it. This procedure is not uncommon and train operators are trained to manually align routes. The operator then manually moved the train when it derailed. The train was not under automatic train control. The details into what happened are under investigation.

A large crane will be needed to get the incident train back in place on the tracks. This crane will be positioned on Highway 24 eastbound. Two highway lanes will be closed for this. The train will then be moved to a yard and track inspections and any repairs will need to take place.

The California Public Utilities Commission was notified and their staff were on scene.

3:15pm Update:

BART is currently working with Caltrans to close two lanes of Eastbound Highway 24 within in the next hour for a large crane that will position the incident BART train back in place. We do not have an ETA on how long it will take but will provide frequent updates on the process.

4pm Update:

The two lanes on Eastbound Highway 24 are now closed and crane is enroute for placement.

4:40pm Update:

The crane arrived on scene.

9:30pm Update:

The incident train is now moving towards the yard. Crews are working on repairs. We will be using our tamper vehicle to surface the track area, pounding down the rocks/ballast. The good news is there was no damage to track switches which would have required more extensive repairs.

The bus bridge will remain in effect through the end of service tonight. Crews will work to make repairs and inspect the tracks this evening and overnight. We hope for full normal service between Walnut Creek and Rockridge tomorrow.

10pm Update:

The bus bridge will remain in effect through the end of service tonight (1/1/24). Crews will work to make repairs and inspect the tracks this evening and overnight. We hope for normal train service between Walnut Creek and Rockridge tomorrow (1/2/24).

There is currently no train service between Rockridge and Walnut Creek station following a partial train derailment that occurred shortly after 9am just outside the Orinda station. A bus bridge provided by our partners at AC Transit and County Connection is in place providing full bus service between Rockridge and Walnut Creek in both directions. Buses will make all station stops. Yellow line riders should expect major delays all day. Trains are turning around at Rockridge and Walnut Creek where riders will need to board a bus. No other BART lines are impacted.

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