Taking Out The Grade Crossing In Burbank

Back in 2003 a bad train crash occurred on my rail line. Here is a report of it.

"On the morning of Jan. 6, 2003 fifty nine passengers and two crew members aboard Metrolink's train 210 were traveling through Burbank when Jacek Wysocki, a 63-year-old delivery-truck driver, steered his stake-bed truck into their path.

Wysocki did not appear to be trying to beat the train, investigators said. Witnesses told police they saw the driver stop his Ford F-550 truck for a red light at San Fernando Boulevard. But when the red left-turn arrow began to flash -- signaling the approaching train -- witnesses saw him roll into the intersection and turn left onto Buena Vista over the tracks.

The crash caused the truck to burst into flames and toppled the first two cars of the train, tossing passengers out of their seats and shattering windows. Wysocki died instantly. Two weeks later, train passenger Grace Midgley Kirkness, 76, died from her injuries."

On that day, I happened to be off for my birthday and was waiting for a movie to begin, when the phone started ringing.

My relatives knew this was a train I normally rode on and they were worried.

Thankfully, I was not there that day, but I knew several people who were on the train. Some never took a train again and the conductor (who is a very good friend) usually goes to the back of the train, when it passes through that area.

Honestly, I don't blame him.

The City of Burbank decided the crossing a Buena Vista needed to be elevated.

They got the funding and put in some money of their own and over the past several years, this at grade crossing has slowly been elevated.

Things that are being done during the course of the project are:
Totally take out the Scott Road exit and undercrossing under the I-5 Freeway.
Make a carpool lane on the I-5 and also move the train track out of the way, via a "shoo-fly" temporary track.
Move the track back to the new overcrossing.
Rebuild the Scott Road Exit.
Build an extra lane for the freeway, so that the car pool lane is once again available for car pools. (It has been built, but it is currently acting as lane #1.)
It has been years of a mess and it is not done.

In good news, the track was moved back to its original position (during the St. Patrick's weekend) and it is now elevated above the grade crossing.

This photo was taken a week after it moved. I was quite happy to travel it yesterday.