Another Caltrain Fatality: Student, 15, Struck in Palo Alto

A Caltrain struck and killed a 15-year-old Palo Alto High School student in Palo Alto Monday morning, prompting delays of up to an hour for train commuters, Caltrain officials said.

Northbound train No. 309 fatally struck the person at about 6:25 a.m. on the tracks south of Churchill Avenue.

A preliminary investigation has determined the case is a suicide, according to Caltrain officials.

The fatality initially shut down Caltrain service in both directions. The southbound tracks reopened around 7:15 a.m. and trains single-tracked through the area.

The passengers on train No. 309, an express baby bullet train that left the San Jose Diridon station at 6:09 a.m., were able to disembark at the Stanford station and the train was moved out of the trackway around 8 a.m., Caltrain officials said.

Caltrain service resumed in both directions as of about 9 a.m.

On each of the last three Mondays, someone has been fatally struck on Caltrain tracks. The first happened Feb. 23 in Menlo Park, the next on March 2 south of Blossom Hill and now Monday’s crash near Palo Alto.

A fourth crash also happened within that time frame, though that person survived.

Monday’s death is also the eighth one on Caltrain’s right-of-way so far in 2015.

There were 10 in all of 2014, eight of which were determined to be suicides, agency officials said.

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– Bay City News Service contributed to this report.