Train derails in Blue Island, no hazardous materials spilled
BLUE ISLAND, Ill. (CBS) -- A freight train derailed late Wednesday night in Blue Island.
A total of 13 cars came off the tracks in the massive derailment, which happened at 136th Street and Thornton Road.
As CBS 2's Chris Tye reported, crews spent the day Thursday trying to get things back to normal.
Thankfully, the train cars were empty. For residents — and the freight train line, CSX - that fact makes the scene far less concerning.
Still, the derailment was rattling for neighbors - and it raises new questions for an industry that has already had a rough few months.
At 9:13 p.m. Wednesday, the CSX train with more than 100 cars was moving northeast through Blue Island. As seen in video obtained exclusively by CBS 2, all 13 train cars tipped onto their side – where they would remain for more than 12 hours.
Video from Chopper 2 showed train cars tipped on top of parked cars adjacent to the tracks.
The stretch of track where the derailment happened has a 10-mph maximum.
The tipped cars didn't damage the tracks - but they did damage the faith some neighbors have in the train lines down the block While again, all the train cars were empty, what might have been inside them was a question that rattled neighbors when the derailment happened.
"You know, I don't know what the train is carrying," said Antonio Rogers.
Rogers wants to move out of the building where he lives because of the noise and risk the tracks across the street pose. Those risks are nothing new to residents and police in Blue Island.
"Usually a couple every year - we do have train derailments," said Blue Island police Detective Nancy Bailey. "Blue Island has a lot of train yards in this town – so it's very common, unfortunately."
There are two to three derailments every year in Blue Island alone. Blue Island is a hub for the Chicago area and the nation's rail system.
"Chicago is the heart of the system," said railroad industry expert Jim Schultz. "It's the heartbeat."
On Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, 38 cars from a freight train derailed – 11 of which contained hazardous materials. The derailment forced hundreds of nearby residents to evacuate for several days.
The National Transportation Safety Board said that along with the 38 rail cars that derailed, another 12 cars were damaged by a fire.
Schultz said in the aftermath of the East Palestine train disaster, there is new focus on lengths of trains, staffing on trains, and the braking system used on the rails.
"About every 10 to 20 years, there's a seminal event that occurs that fundamentally changes transportation safety - and I think East Palestine is certainly going to be one of them," Schultz said.
But Schultz says when frontline staff sees trouble, they should feel comfortable to raise a red flag.
"When someone brings up a safety concern in the front line, is there advocacy there?" Schultz said. "Are they rewarded for bringing this up, or are they penalized?"
An engineer who lives and works in the area says the Blue Island derailment, the one in East Palestine, and others recently are reasons why our country's infrastructure needs to be addressed.
"It shouldn't never happen. If we take care of our infrastructure we wouldn't have these problems," he said.
Four rail lines exist just across the street from the building Rogers and Lenra Ford live in. They are lines of concern because of noise, traffic backups, and risk that unfolded just outside their windows Wednesday night.
"We want to move - because of the noise and the racket around here," said Lenra Ford. "Yeah, it's a concern, because you can get sick off of that."
Illinois trains are actually considered quite safe on the national average. Only 0.12 percent of all trains inspected show violations.
"Safety is our top priority as we work to clear the crossings impacted by the incident and fully restore the area," CSX officials said. "The cause of the incident is under investigation."
And the cause remained under investigation late Thursday.
The accident is the 12th derailment statewide this year.
Crews remained on the scene Thursday afternoon as the roads re-opened.
