Train stopped on the tracks blocks traffic in Santa Margarita

A freight train came to a stop in Santa Margarita Tuesday morning, blocking multiple railroad crossing and causing a major traffic pileup.

At about 5 a.m., the Union Pacific train stopped for an unknown reason in a position in which it was blocking all three railroad crossings along Highway 58 and El Camino Real in Santa Margarita. At about 5:50 a.m., a portion of the train was removed and one crossing was opened.

Shortly before 7 a.m., the train was no longer blocking the crossings. Traffic flows then began to return to normal.