Something obviously had to go wrong for this to happen. Whether it was a mechanical or a human error, that’s what we have to find out – Utah Transit Authority spokesman Remi Barron
SALT LAKE CITY — Two TRAX trains bumped noses when a switching error put them on the same track Tuesday.
The two trains came together at a curve in the track near 2100 South and 300 West, said Utah Transit Authority spokesman Remi Barron. The slow-speed crash that happened shortly after 2 p.m. derailed one of the trains but didn't cause any injuries, though one woman was reporting leg pain, Barron said.
One of the trains was a Green Line train coming from West Valley City, while the other was on the Blue Line from Sandy.
Officials are investigating what caused the switch error, including a possible contribution by Tuesday's winter weather. The trains were cleared and regular service restored about 8 p.m.
"Especially when it's cold or there's snow or there's ice, sometimes a switch will freeze or become disabled somehow in bad weather," Barron said.
Barron called the incident — two trains ending up on the same track — "surprising" and "infrequent."
"Something obviously had to go wrong for this to happen. Whether it was a mechanical or a human error, that's what we have to find out," he said.
UTA will be required to submit a report to the Federal Railroad Administration about the accident, Barron said.
All passengers, as many as 100 people between both trains, were quickly taken off the train and a bus bridge put in place between the Ballpark, River Trail and Millcreek stations, Barron said. Riders were told to expect delays of 30 minutes to an hour.
"It's unfortunate it happened just before the afternoon and evening commute," Barron said.
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