Adventures in public transportation

I take the train to and from work -- Metrolink, which runs throughout the greater LA area with less frequency and convenience than most commuter train systems, which is not surprising considering how spread out the business and residential concentrations are. As it happens, it works for me and I get quite a bit of reading done. Sometimes, however, there are problems.

Last night, as we wheeled through Santa Ana Canyon, we came to a stop. At first it was just a "red light" -- they are so informative. A few people who have friends who ride other trains discovered there was some kind of auto-to-train accident near Green River in Corona. They announced we would back up to Anaheim Canyon where there would be buses. We got to within 100 feet of the station and one lady in our section of the car was frantic because her husband was waiting for her there, and none too happy in the first place about going so far out of his way to pick her up. Then they announced that the tracks were cleared and we would be proceeding forward. Even that was not trouble-free because some westbound trains had to move out of our way first, including a huge freight train. Bottom line: a three-hour delay and a tired little boy who didn't even feel like blogging last night.

It turns out that an auto driver apparently fell asleep while driving and crashed through a guard rail from the 91 and down an embankment onto the train tracks. He died.