SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – An ACE train was stopped in Alameda County's Niles Canyon Tuesday morning due to a mudslide covering the tracks.
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Hundreds of passengers were evacuated from the commuter rail service, Altamont Corridor Express, and moved onto a rescue train which transported them to Pleasanton. Officials told KCBS Radio no injuries were reported and the train did not derail after being hit by the mudslide.
"At about 8:44 a.m., the ACE train made contact with some mud going westbound towards Pleasanton in Niles Canyon, stopping the train," said Alameda County Fire Captain Brian Centoni. "We had about 226 passengers aboard the train, including four ACE employees."
Conditions around the tracks weren't ideal for evacuation, with mud pressing up against the train caused by the previous weeks of rain. "We do have sunshine today, but everything is just saturated with lots of wet water throughout Niles Canyon. The whole area's been closed down for the past week and a half here," Centoni explained.
"Our goal is just the safety of the passengers and the employees. Once we can get the passengers safely off the train, out of the area, the Altamont Corridor Express train will work to mitigate that situation — getting the train out of there and clearing the mud," he added.
Passengers were safely evacuated a few hours after the train was stalled. Trains were delayed until 4 p.m. when ACE owner Pacific Union was able to clear the tracks.
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