UP derailment in Normal, Ill., disrupts Amtrak, blocks traffic
Sixteen cars of a Union Pacific intermodal train derailed early Saturday morning in Normal, Ill., blocking a series of grade crossings, closing an underpass, damaging two rail lines, and disrupting Amtrak service. The Bloomington Pantagraph reports it was told by Normal Mayor Chris Koos that the accident occurred about 5 a.m. in near-zero temperatures, but that it is uncertain if weather played a part in the accident. The Amtrak Alerts Twitter feed reports Lincoln Service train No. 300 will terminate at Springfield, Ill., because of the derailment, and that trains 303, 306, and 307 have been canceled. The northbound Texas Eagle due to arrive in Chicago today will detour between St. Louis and Chicago, missing seven intermediate stops. Alternate transportation will be provided between St. Louis and Chicago.
Canadian Pacific derailment in Alberta sends cars into lake (updated)
Two locomotives and 46 cars of a Canadian Pacific potash train derailed in Alberta on Friday, according to the Calgary Herald, with some cars reportedly falling into a trackside lake. Global News reported earlier that the the accident occurred on Crowsnest Pass just east of the British Columbia-Alberta border about 5 p.m. local time, that CP says no injuries were resulted. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed to the news agency that no hazardous materials were involved, and that as of Friday night, it did not plan to send an investigator to the scene. The local Crowsnest Pass Herald reported five cars fell into Crowsnest Lake.
Atlanta asks STB to stop Norfolk Southern project at site of former brick plant
The city of Atlanta is asking the Surface Transportation Board to stop Norfolk Southern from building a transload facility on the site of a former brick plant which mostly operated with slave labor. Radio station WABE reports Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a press release that her administration “will do everything it can to protect the sanctity and significance of this property… A site of such historic and environmental importance needs careful consideration before even limited development occurs.” A Norfolk Southern spokesman said the company was reviewing the filing and had no comment. The company has previously said it planned to include a memorial to evens at the Chattahoochee Brick plant, but members of Atlanta’s city council had called the project “a completely undesirable development on a unique and sacred site” [see “Digest: Derailment, bridge collapse reported …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 25, 2020.] The filing has not yet been posted on the STB website.
— Updated at 10 a.m. Feb. 14 with new car count on CP derailment.
