(The following story by Kim Bell appeared on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website on January 15, 2009.)
CARLINVILLE, Ill. — No one was seriously injured today on an Amtrak train that smashed into a truck hauling garbage in Macoupin County, an Amtrak spokesman said.
The northbound train had left St. Louis and was heading to Chicago.
Marc Magliari, an Amtrak spokesman in Chicago, said the crash happened about 9:15 a.m. today. The crossing is marked and equipped with warning lights and bells, he said.
Thirty-eight passengers were aboard the train. No one was seriously injured, he said. Some may be getting checked out medically, but Magliari said he didn’t know if any had to be transported to hospitals. They were taken to Carlinville High School to keep warm until chartered motorcoaches can take them to destinations.
A dispatcher with the Macoupin County sheriff’s office wouldn’t say how badly the trash-truck driver was hurt. She referred calls to the sheriff, who was unavailable to comment.
Magliari didn’t know the condition of the driver, and he didn’t know why the truck was in the train’s path.
“It was obstructing the track,” he said. “I don’t know how it came to be there.”
The Amtrak train is known as Lincoln Service Train 302.
Amtrak said the crash happened north of Carlinville at Cisco Road.
A statement issued by Amtrak says the locomotive was damaged and a set of wheels lost contact with the rails, but the four-car train remained upright and coupled.
The tracks used by Amtrak there are controlled and maintained by Union Pacific.
The route has been closed so crews can remove the damaged locomotive and inspect the tracks.
The crash means that service is disrupted between St. Louis and Chicago. Here are changes, as described by Amtrak at 11:30 a.m. today:
Lincoln Service Southbound Trains 301 & 303 and northbound Train 304 are canceled. Chartered motorcoaches representing these trains will make all stops between Chicago and St. Louis.
Texas Eagle The Texas Eagle, Trains 21/421 & 22/422, which ordinarily operate between Chicago and San Antonio via St. Louis, will begin and end today in St. Louis, rather than Chicago. Chartered motorcoaches will be used to take people to all stops between Chicago and St. Louis.
Passengers can call 800-USA-RAIL or go to Amtrak.com for tain status updates.