By Jorge Casuso

Editors notte: This report was updated at 4 p.m. Monday

January 26, 2020 -- (UPDATED) A homeless man was killed by an Expo train in Santa Monica Sunday, marking the third such fatality since rail service reached the beach city in 2016.

The pedestrian was struck by a westbound train around 6 a.m. at the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Colorado Avenue, according to police.

"Based on evidence obtained at the scene, it appears the pedestrian walked out in front of the train as it neared where (he) was standing," said Lt. Candice Cobarrubias, the Police Department spokesperson.

Investigators have not established whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Cobarrubias said.

"The pedestrian was extricated from underneath the train and transported to UCLA Westwood with life threatening injuries," where he died, she said.

His identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin.

None of the ten passengers aboard the train were injured in the collision, Cobarrubias said.

Most of the Santa Monica rail line runs at ground level, and safety officials expressed concerns about potential accidents before service opened to the public in May 2016 ("Several Accidents Preceded First Fatality on Expo Train Tracks in Santa Monica," November 7, 2017).

In December 2015, the City Council approved fencing along stretches of Colorado Avenue after a test train and an 18-wheeler collided at the intersection of Colorado Avenue and 7th Street ("Santa Monica Will Add Fencing Around Expo Rail Tracks," December 18, 2015).

In May 2016, one week before the rail line opened, another test train collided with a pickup truck making an illegal turn at the same intersection ("Test Train and Pickup Collide in Santa Monica," May 13, 2016).

Since the Expo line officially opened in Santa Monica on May 20, 2016, there have been three fatal collisions involving trains ("All Aboard Santa Monica’s New Light Rail Line," May 20, 2016).

The two previous collisions involved trains departing the Colorado and 17th Street Station near Santa Monica College (SMC).

In the first incident, which took place November 5, 2017, a pedestrian was struck by the side of a train near 14th Street and Colorado Avenue ("Pedestrian Killed by Expo Train in Santa Monica," November 6, 2017).

The second collision took place on January 15, 2019, when a pedestrian was dragged from the platform by a departing train ("Train Collision Marks First Pedestrian Death Since 2017," January 15, 2019).