New $2 million BART train crashes during testing in Hayward

HAYWARD, Calif. (KGO) -- BART put its brand new $2 million train car to the test and something went wrong.

Just before 2 p.m., a weeks-old BART car plowed into a mound of dirt, called a sandbox.

PHOTOS: New BART train crashes into dirt during testing in Hayward

The car didn't derail, instead it came to a stop at the end of a test track used to train operators and test systems.

"None of the wheels of the train car ever came off of the running rails, so it was easy to just pull it back from that sand berm and it was right back to where it needed to be," said BART spokesperson Taylor Huckaby.

Since it did not jump the tracks, there was no damage to the wheels. BART board member Zachary Mallet said there wasn't any damage to the rest of the car either.

"Like your automobile, which goes through extensive testing before you can buy it, we buy them and then do our testing. That's exactly what this test track is for," Mallett said.

At nearly $2 million each, this is the first of 10 new BART cars that will be tested and eventually added to the aging fleet. BART is currently trying to figure out if this was operator error, or some other problem.

"If this is a technical malfunction, this is a good thing. This will allow us delve into the cause of it and get it corrected it before we begin passenger service with the fleet the future," Mallett added.

Over the next few months, BART expects to receive nine more of these test cars. If they check out, they are expected to begin carrying passengers at the end of this year.