BART Train Derails Near Orinda Station 

    Two eastbound Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) cars derailed just outside of the Orinda station shortly after 9 a.m. on Jan. 1. The cars caught fire, forcing the evacuation of more than 100 riders.
    Orinda police and MOFD responded rapidly, extinguishing the fire and transporting nine people to medical facilities for evaluation. There were no serious injuries.
    BART officials reported that there was a loss of communication between the computer system that manages the tracks and a field device. Because of this problem, the Operations Control Center instructed a train operator to manually align the route at the interlocking of the tracks. The train derailed when the operator attempted to manually move the train and it crossed onto the wrong track.
    Full details of the incident are under investigation. BART representatives have 60 days from the date of the accident to provide the California Public Utilities Commission with a report. No report is available to the public until that time.
    BART provided a temporary bus bridge while the Orinda station was closed. A large crane was used to re-rail the cars in order to tow them. The track was repaired and the line was reopened on Jan. 2 at 4:40 a.m.