Rail service remains halted at site of Coast Starlight derailment

MOORPARK, Calif. — Scheduled rail service through the site of Wednesday’s derailment of Amtrak’s Coast Starlight remains disrupted while an investigation and clean-up continues.

The derailment occurred about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday when the train hit a water truck at private, unprotected grade crossing near Moorpark [see “Coast Starlight derails after hitting truck …,” Trains News Wire, June 28, 2023]. Updated information now says 16 people were hospitalized as a result.

The Amtrak Alerts Twitter feed says this morning that today’s scheduled departure of the northbound Starlight will originate in Emeryville, Calif.,. instead of Los Angeles, while today’s southbound departure from Seattle will terminate in Emeryville.

The Pacific Surfliner website says Surfliner trains will not operate north of Los Angeles until “at least this afternoon,” with Metrolink accepting Amtrak tickets between Los Angeles and Moorpark. Individual train updates will be available on the Surfliner Twitter feed.

Metrolink’s Ventura County Line is only operating between Moorpark and Los Angeles Union Station, according to Metrolink information on Twitter. No bus connection or other transportation is being offered for the three morning trains, Nos. 102, 104, and 106, that normally serve the Ventura East, Oxnard, and Camarillo stations west of the derailment site.

The Ventura County Star reports that conflicting information remains over the number of passengers who were on board the Starlight at the time of the accident. Amtrak reporting 198 passengers based on ticket scans, while the Ventura County Fire Department reporting 186 based on the number of people leaving the train.

It also remains unclear whether there had been a fire under the train’s baggage car, as was initially reported, or just smoke that may have been heat-related. One official suggested spilled hydraulic fluid from the collision may have been the source.

Of the 16 people taken to hospitals, the driver of the Ventura County Public Works Agency water truck was the only one requiring trauma-center care. He was taken to Los Robles Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and was said to be in serious but stable condition.

Other passengers were taken to a reunification center at the Moorpark Active Adult Center, and by 5 p.m. Wednesday, most had either been picked up by family members or had left on buses to return to LA Union Station.

The National Transportation Safety Board, Amtrak and local agencies will be involved in the accident investigation.