Pedestrian killed in Atherton Caltrain crash

A pedestrian was killed on the peninsula Friday afternoon after being struck by a train near Atherton, officials said, halting all service in the area for more than an hour.

Northbound Caltrain number 155, hit the person, who was described as a “trespasser,” around 2:56 p.m., officials said.

Emergency personnel responded to the scene, but the victim, whose identity was not immediately released, died.

A SamTrans bus bridge was put in place to ferry passengers between the Redwood City and Menlo Park Stations, officials said.

By 4:30 p.m., trains began single tracking through the area. Both tracks were cleared for traffic just after 6 p.m., but delays of more than an hour were expected.

The death marks the 12th on Caltrain tracks this year. Last year, 10 people died on the tracks, many of whom were found to have committed suicide, a Caltrain spokeswoman said.

She urged anyone considering suicide to seek help or to call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at (800) 784-2433.

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale