Auto racks on a derailed BNSF train near Walong, Calif.
Phil Cornyn
BNSF and UP locomotives involved in a collision near Walong, Calif.
Phil Cornyn
Cars derailed in a collision near Walong, Calif.
Phil Cornyn
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Early this morning, a BNSF Railway train rear-ended a Union Pacific freight in Southern California, about 40 miles south of Bakersfield. The derailment occurred southwest of Highway 58 and just east of Broome Road near Walong on UP’s Mojave Subdivision. There are no injuries reported on either train and no hazardous materials are involved.
BNSF spokesperson Lena Kent tells Trains News Wire that the collision happened about 2:30 a.m. It involved a BNSF auto rack train operating between Clovis, N.M., and Richmond. The train derailed 11 of 61 loaded auto racks and 3 locomotives.
UP spokesperson Aaron Hunt says his company does not yet know the extent of the track damage, but is working to reopen the route as soon as possible and is currently investigating the incident.
The Mojave Sub is part of the famed Tehachapi Pass route, which is owned by UP but also handles trackage rights trains from BNSF.
