Caltrain hits, kills pedestrian

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a northbound Caltrain on Thursday, a spokesman for the agency said.

The accident happened around 6:45 a.m. at a street crossing at Rengstorff Avenue, Caltrain spokesman Jonah Weinberg said. Based on an interview with the train engineer, officials believe the victim -- whose identity has not been released -- tried to beat the train across the tracks, Weinberg said.

There have been 12 deaths on Caltrain tracks this year, he said, six of them ruled suicides. In 2005, 10 people were struck and killed by the agency's trains.

Caltrain budgeted $1.5 million this year to install fences along portions of the agency's route. Earlier this year, Weinberg said, the agency asked the cities along Caltrain's right-of-way to provide them with information on where the fencing should be placed.

Agency officials are reviewing those responses, and Caltrain hopes to make decisions on the new fencing by the end of the year, he said.

Caltrain cannot fence off the length of its entire track because there are areas where cars and pedestrians need to be able to cross, Weinberg said.