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Hoverboards No Longer Permitted On Metrolink Trains

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Hoverboards and other self-balancing electronic devices have been banned from Metrolink trains starting Monday.

Metrolink spokeswoman Sherita Coffelt said that if passengers board trains with their boards, Metrolink personnel will ask them to step off. The devices will not be seized, however.

"They may not be able to ride," Coffelt said. "We'll try to work with them and give them the option of returning to take another train."

Metrolink executives made the decisions to ban hoverboards following informal discussions, but the matter has not been addressed by the agency's Board of Directors, she said.

"This is a proactive step we've taken to ensure the safety of our passengers," Coffelt said last week. "There have been concerns voiced about these devices catching fire and blowing up, and until there are more studies done, we're not going to allow them on the trains."

According to Coffelt, there have been no reported injury accidents involving hoverboards and other self-levitating products on Metrolink trains or at its 55 stations.

"We just felt it was prudent to take this action now to prevent anything from happening," she said.

The so-called hoverboards function like skateboards but operate using electromagnets, rotors and other advanced technology.

(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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