Man jumps in front of San Francisco train, snarling morning commute

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Commuters were faced with major delays across San Francisco on Wednesday morning after a man jumped in front of a train and was killed, forcing officials to shut down most lines running through downtown, Bay Area Rapid Transit officials said. The man, who was apparently bent on committing suicide, died after being struck by a train at the city's Powell Street Station, BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said. He was not identified by authorities. Trost said the Powell Street Station was closed while police and coroner's investigators responded to the scene, allowing only one of the city's four major train lines to run as scheduled. Rush-hour passengers headed downtown were greeted by a litany of broadcasts over the BART’s PA system, advising commuters to switch to buses. Train cars were packed with office workers mostly glued to smartphone and tablet screens. "BART is recovering from an earlier problem. There is a major delay system wide due to an earlier major medical emergency at Powell. Trains are now stopping at Powell Street. Expect major delays through the morning commute," the agency said in a message on its website. On one train stuck at Glen Park Station, just a few stops from the financial district, many threw in the towel and walked out after the train had been immobile for 15 minutes. One passenger remarked to another holding a skateboard: “You might be better off riding that skateboard into work.” As of about 9:30 a.m. PST, Uber was charging riders more than twice its normal rate. Trost said that during the morning commute a passenger was treated for chest pains and a fight broke out on a train platform, although it was not immediately clear if those incidents were related to the delays. (Reporting by Edwin Chan in San Francisco and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Eric Beech)