Nov 10, 2009 4:57 pm US/Pacific
Pittsburg Freight Train Derailment Disrupts Amtrak
PITTSBURG (CBS 5 / BCN) ―
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A freight trains sits derailed off the tracks between Pittsburg and Antioch Tuesday morning.
CBS
Crews righted the 10-car Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway freight train that derailed in Pittsburg Tuesday morning, a spokeswoman said.
The rail line was expected to reopen by 10:30 p.m., according to BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent. Railway crews were repairing more than 1,000 feet of damaged track.
BNSF brought in large re-railing equipment to right the cars, along with track panels and railroad ballast, the crushed stone used beneath the tracks, she said.
The 10-car train was traveling from Richmond to Barstow when it derailed at 1:30 a.m. near Loveridge Road in Pittsburg. The incident also affected Amtrak service in both directions.
Nine of the 10 cars were empty, she said. The 10th contains liquid petroleum gas, but Kent said the car and its contents were not damaged.
"It was moving at a very slow speed," she said. "It was actually backing up when it derailed."
The car containing the liquid petroleum is not completely on the ground, but is leaning at a 45-degree angle, she said.
No one was injured in the derailment and BNSF crews are investigating the cause, Kent said.
Pittsburg-Antioch Highway remained closed between East 14th and Harbor streets, according to police Lt. Brian Addington. Heavy BNSF equipment was using the roadway to access the site of the derailment, he said. Police expect the road to open Tuesday evening.
The incident was disrupting about 10 Amtrak trains on the Oakland-to-Bakersfield corridor, spokeswoman Vernae Graham said. Passengers were being bused between the Martinez and Stockton stations, she said.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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