Amtrak’s Southwest Chief is once again facing cancellations on the central portion of its route because of a freight train derailment, according to the Amtrak Alerts feed on X.com.
The westbound train that departed Chicago today will be canceled between Kansas City and Albuquerque, with no alternate transportation provided, while the eastbound train that left Los Angeles on Monday, July 29, will be cancelled between Albuquerque and Chicago. That train arrived in Albuquerque at 12:32 p.m.; westbound No. 3 is scheduled to arrive in Kansas City at 9:48 p.m.
BNSF has confirmed that a train derailed at approximately 12:15 p.m. at Peabody, Kan. There were no injuries to the crew and no threat to the public, a spokeswoman said in an email, and personnel are on site to clear the site as quickly as possible. No other details are available.
Peabody is 15 miles northeast of Newton, Kan., on BNSF’s La Junta Subdivision.
The latest disruption to Chief service comes just six days after a derailment near Garden City, Kan., led to cancellation of the passenger train between La Junta, Colo., and Kansas City [see “BNSF derailment in Kansas leads to Southwest Chief cancellations,” Trains News Wire, July 24, 2024].
— Updated at 10:08 p.m. CT with information on BNSF derailment.
