The train had just pulled out of the Sun Valley station and was moving 15-20 miles per hour when it struck the truck at 10:35 a.m., said Metrolink spokeswoman Sherita Coffelt. Four people were critically injured in the crash.
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The driver of the truck was not believed to be amongst the injured.
Officials said the Metrolink train, carrying almost 200 passengers, struck the rear of the vehicle on the tracks in Sun Valley on Tuesday morning.
The crossing at Sunland and San Fernando has seen at least 15 collisions, including Tuesday’s, since Metrolink began operating in 1993.
Law enforcement were conducting an investigation into the crash, Scott said.
The train used an emergency braking system and the rail cars had safety features that helped absorb the impact, Metrolink spokesman Jeff Lustgarten said. It wasn’t immediately clear why the truck’s trailer was on the tracks.
Later the delays were revised down to just a few minutes. Almost 190 passengers were on board the six train cars affected by the crash.
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Aerial footage from AIR7 HD showed some of the 75 firefighters at the scene helping passengers disembark from the train, which was stopped at an intersection.
