Blue Line light rail train hits trailer of pickup truck on slippery road

A Blue Line light rail train crashed into a pickup truck's trailer after the truck slid on a slippery road and got stuck on the tracks in Bloomington Thursday morning.

No one was hurt in the crash. Light rail riders were delayed about 40 minutes until buses arrived to take them to their destinations.

The crash took place north of Interstate 494, at the rail crossings at 34th Avenue South and Airport Lane, around 11:20 a.m. The train was traveling northbound. The truck traveled westbound through the intersection.

"It happens periodically that a car will get stuck on the tracks but it would be unusual for a collision to occur," said Metro Transit spokesman Drew Kerr.

The light rail train had very little damage, Kerr said, but was taken out of service as protocol. The truck was towed from the scene.

A "bus bridge" took place --- buses arrived at the scene at noon to take train passengers to their destination. The buses ran for 25 minutes going both northbound and southbound between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Terminal 2 and Mall of America.

Metro Transit Police and airport police responded to the crash.

Rail service resumed at about 12:30 p.m.

Overall, significant bus delays were seen Thursday morning. As of 11 a.m., 50 percent of Metro Transit buses are on time, with a 14-minute average delay. The low-point of service was at 8:30 a.m., when only 25 percent of buses were on time, Kerr said.

"I would characterize this mornings' bus and rail service as typical of a weather event such as this, where traffic on local roads and freeways slows down," Kerr said.

Rail service overall ran on schedule this morning without significant delays, he said.