3:09 PM: A woman was killed by a train at BART’s Ashby station in Berkeley today in an apparent suicide, according to transit agency spokesman Jim Allison.
The woman was on the tracks at the station and hit by a Richmond-bound train at about 12:48 p.m., Allison said.
The woman was later pronounced dead and the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau is in the process of removing her body, he said.
A witness told BART police officers that the woman’s actions “were consistent with a suicide attempt,” Allison said.
The incident caused major delays between Richmond and Fremont and between Richmond and San Francisco but didn’t affect BART’s other three lines, he said.
Service at the Ashby station was halted, with trains single-tracking through the station but not stopping, according to Allison.
He said the station reopened about 3 p.m., and BART hoped to resume full service soon.
Anyone who is feeling suicidal is encouraged call the national, 24-hour suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to be connected to the closest crisis line.
Crisis counselors from the nonprofit San Francisco Suicide Prevention are also available to participate in online chats at www.sfsuicide.org.
Jeff Shuttleworth, Bay City News
2:06 PM: A person was struck by a BART train at the Ashby station in Berkeley this afternoon, and the incident has caused major delays, a BART employee said.
The incident was reported at 12:48 p.m.
As of 1:20 p.m., trains were single-tracking through the Ashby station but weren’t stopping there.
AC Transit has set up a bus bridge between the MacArthur and Downtown Berkeley BART stations.
The employee did not know the condition of the person who was hit by the train.
Jeff Shuttleworth, Bay City News
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