Electrical issue disrupts VTA light rail service in Mountain View, Sunnyvale

By Tim Fang

Valley Transportation Authority officials said an electrical issue found early Tuesday morning could disrupt light rail service in Mountain View and Sunnyvale for up to two days.

In a statement to CBS News Bay Area, the agency said a light rail driver on the Orange Line reported around 6 a.m. that an overhead wire snapped near Innovation Way, east of the Moffett Park station. Personnel confirmed the overhead wire became tangled with the pantograph, which collects electricity from the wire to power the train.

Following the discovery, VTA suspended light rail service between the Middlefield station in Mountain View and the Crossman station in Sunnyvale. Other impacted stations include Bayshore/NASA, Moffett Park, Lockheed Martin and Borregas.

The agency has implemented a bus bridge, which will make stops at the impacted Orange Line stations. Other parts of the Orange Line and other parts of the system continue to operate normally.

Repairs are expected to take between 24 and 48 hours, officials said.