MATTESON, Ill. — Authorities ordered an evacuation, then lited it about two hours later after a Canadian National train derailed at the railroad’s busy junction of former Illinois Central and Elgin & Joliet Eastern lines today (June 27) in Matteson, about 25 miles south of downtown Chicago.
WGN-TV reports there was a small leak of propane from one of the 25 cars that derailed, according to a fire official. The Chicago Sun-Times reports the leak involved a car containing a residual amount of propane, according to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, which was on scene to coordinate the emergency response.
The evacuation order, issued about 11:45 a.m. and covering an ara one mile to the south and west, and a quarter mile to the east, was lifted by 1:30 p.m. Matteson Mayor Sheila Chalmers-Currin told CBS News no more than 300 people were affected.
Video from WMAQ-TV shows a number of tank cars were part of the incident, which occurred on the connection between the IC and EJ&E lines at the Main Street/Central Park Avenue grade crossing, in the area of arrows Nos. 8-10 on the map below — not on the new, tightly looping connection between the two lines built by CN in 2011 as a key to avoiding congestion in Chicago. CN told WMAQ that the cars involved were “carrying various substances.”
Metra Electric service that normally operates through the nearby Matteson station to University Park, southern end point of the Electric line, temporarily originated and terminated at Olympia Fields, one stop north of the evacuation area, but was restored about 1:30 p.m. Amtrak’s Illini/Saluki and City of New Orleans also pass through Matteson on the former IC; the northbound Saluki was due to pass through about noon, but was held in Kankakee, Ill., until 1:21 p.m., departing some 1 hour, 50 minutes late, according to Train Status information on the Amtrak website.
More information on the Matteson connection is available in this Trains.com railfan guide, source of the map above.
— Updated at 6:15 p.m. CT to reflect end of evacuation order, other new information; updated at 6:25 p.m. CT with additional details.
