RTD Thankful No Passengers Were On Runaway Train, Operator Error Suspected
LITTLETON, Colo. (CBS4) - Investigators in Littleton are working to determine why a light train didn't stop on Sunday night when it was coming into Mineral Station.
No one was hurt when the train cruised past the passenger platform and continued straight for several hundred yards to the of end tracks.
It was stopped by a bumper block that is designed to stop runaway trains. The train pushed the block several feet backwards and also plowed over a power pole.
After knocking down the pole the train rode up on top of it before coming to a stop. That suspended the train about four to five feet in the air.
The pole also smashed the front window of the train and cut power to the track for several hours.
The conductor was the only person on board at the time. Authorities said she followed protocol and stayed in the cab as the incident happened. She was said to be shaken but uninjured.
The derailment caused delays for morning commuters on Monday. The Regional Transportation District ran shuttles to help get passengers to their destinations. RTD officials tweeted that there will be minor delays at Mineral Station for the next day or two as crews work "to get the station at full working capacity."
Investigators have taken the black box from the train to try to determine why it didn't stop.
"Just like an airplane all of our trains have black boxes and it records the speed and anything that might have been occurring," Nate Currey with RTD told CBS4. "It will tell us a little bit of what was happening right up to the incident itself."
Monday afternoon RTD said they believe the crash was caused by operator error but that intoxication wasn't a factor. But the black box should give them more information.
