SkyTrain service between Columbia and Scott Road stations was finally restored on Tuesday night, a day after a train partially derailed, causing a halt.
A TransLink spokesman told CBC at around 8pm this Tuesday that problems with the Expo tracks had been fixed and regular maintenance was resumed, although there may be some service gaps.
Before that, dozens of shuttles with a bus bridge transported frustrated passengers from SkyTrain to and from Surrey across the Fraser River.
Lali Dole, a barber who works near Columbia Station, said he had watched crowds of passengers switch between trains and buses.
“Everyone works hard, making sure people go home. And that’s the important thing, isn’t it?”
On Monday night, TransLink crews removed dozens of passengers from SkyTrain, partially offset by its railroad between Scott Road and Columbia Stations.
TransLink attributes the derailment to a switch that failed shortly before 8 p.m.
The scrap metal was cut off the SkyTrain rails before Scott Road station as trains between Columbia and Scott Road were stopped. (Edward Wong @ edwardiswong / Twitter)
“SkyTrain’s safety protocols were launched immediately and passengers were safely removed from the train within 10 minutes. “Since then, the crews have checked other switches on the system and made sure they work safely without any problems,” TransLink said.
No one was injured.
Edward Wong was one of the passengers escorted by a stranded train on Monday night. He remembered seeing the train bend to its feet as it screamed and stopped.
“I heard a loud bang and squeaking sounds from the rail. I immediately felt the train turn right and my shoulder somehow hit the side of the car as I sat.
A video shared by Wong online shows passengers walking in a single file on the track with visible metal shavings scattered along the track.
Return on foot! pic.twitter.com/28kh9fmBcP
– @edwardiswong
The photos also show metal debris displaced by the rail along the site of the damage.
“There was a concrete barrier about 20 meters behind where the chips ended, which was apparently hit by the train,” Wong said. “It was really crazy how it all happened, but we all managed to come out alive as one piece.”
TransLink shuttle buses carry SkyTrain passengers between Columbia and Scott Road stations. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza / CBC News)
TransLink is investigating how the train was displaced
TransLink told CBC it would undertake a technical inspection to assess the damage. It says this is the first time SkyTrain has been partially derailed.
“There may be a number of mechanical reasons why the switch fails,” said spokeswoman Tina Lovgreen. “Until we do this review, we won’t know exactly what caused this particular switch failure.”
Lovegreen said the crews checked all the other arrows on the train.
“They made sure everyone was safe and there were no problems with them.”
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