Azernews.Az

Asim Aliyev

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The eastbound lane of Interstate 24 in Orinda was closed Monday night to make way for a crane that will be used to clean up a BART train that partially derailed and caught fire on New Year's morning, Azernews reports, citing foreign media.

According to Caltrans, the eastbound lane was closed at about 4:30 p.m. between Wilder Road and St. Stephens Drive.

BART spokesman Jim Allison said a crane is being installed to remove the damaged trains. BART is partnering with Caltrans and CHP, he said.

It is not yet known when the two eastbound lanes and BART tracks will officially open, as crews will be working through the night.

"... so the crane can get in place and the operation will be to lift the derailed car, secure it to the tracks and then ultimately move that train to the station where it can be inspected," Ellison said.

As of 7:10 p.m., two cars of the BART train that derailed in Orinda had been successfully returned to the tracks with a crane, according to an update from BART.

The cars will be reattached to the cars that did not derail, and the train will be towed from where it was standing on the eastbound tracks near the Orinda station.

Track repairs have already begun, and at least one-way traffic is expected Tuesday morning, according to an update on BART's website, and full Yellow Line service will depend on the speed of repairs.

Ellison initially said the work could take six hours from the time the crane arrives until officials clear the freeway.

Passengers are advised to have a backup plan just in case.

BART officials said Monday at noon that a bus bridge will be in place on the affected route. Passengers traveling from SFO will have to get off at Rockridge and take a bus to Walnut Creek Station.

Passengers traveling from Antioch will need to get off at Walnut Creek Station and take a bus to Rockridge Station.

AC Transit is providing free bus service to cover the BART station stops between Walnut Creek and Rockridge, officials said.

The bus bridge will make all stops between the two stations in both directions.

All other BART lines are unaffected, the agency said.

Officials said nine passengers were taken for medical evaluation after a train car derailed and caught fire near Orinda.

The agency initially reported that no one was injured after the derailment, which occurred shortly after 9 a.m. on the eastbound Yellow Line between the Lafayette and Orinda stations.

"Several people were taken to medical facilities for evaluation following the incident. Based on initial reports from first responders, there are no serious injuries," BART said in a midday announcement.

The railroad said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the partial derailment occurred after 9 a.m. between Orinda and Lafayette stations.

Two cars of the train caught fire and Orinda firefighters extinguished them.

The derailment occurred after a computer glitch prevented the train from automatically rerouting at the crossing.

"The operations center was unable to communicate with the interlocking to move the rails into position, so they ordered the driver to stop the train, get out of the car and manually move the rails into position," Ellison said.

According to Ellison, the train driver manually switched the train's route as instructed before the derailment.

The cause of the derailment is being investigated by BART and the California Public Utilities Commission.

"And then it went smoke outside and smoke inside the railcar. Smoke was billowing from everywhere, and then a fiery orange appeared out of our sight, and we tried to move to the next car," Burrell says.

"We opened our car door, and the door of the next car was at an angle, and we tried to open it. And the one guy in front of me and the first two people tried to move it open. The one behind me said: "Jump, just jump." And we just jumped, like in Mission Impossible, but not in a cool way, but in a bad, scary way," she continues.

People tried to transfer to other cars, but the doors were blocked and they felt the BART car tipping over.

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