(The following story appeared on the KXAN.com website on August 20.)
AUSTIN, Texas — Two freight cars derailed Wednesday morning and hit the 300 North Lamar apartment complex. They have been removed, and the Union Pacific train is gone.
The 81 car, two-engine Union Pacific train was hauling corn from San Antonio to Fort Worth when two cars came off the tracks in Austin at Third and Baylor streets, close to the Amtrak station at 9:19 a.m.
Eliana Guillen was waiting for her train at the Amtrak station when the she saw the Union Pacific train come apart.
“It kept like sliding forward and the wheels were coming off and my aunt was trying to get us inside the station because it didn’t look like it was stopping,” said Guillen.
One of the empty freight cars grazed the balcony of one apartment.
The apartment building was evacuated as a precaution, but there was never a threat to the entire building.
Nicole Smith was in her apartment with her husband when she heard the noise.
“I looked out the window and I saw one of the train cars going sideways,” said Smith. “It was on the sidewalk. It was kind of traveling down.”
The accident also derailed the plans of dozens of Amtrak customers who were waiting for their 10 o’clock train.
They were re-routed and bused to the Fort Worth area.
A 7 o’clock train passengers will also be bused to their destination.
“It kind of, like, scared me because I’ve never been on a train before so, I was expecting it to be kind of fun and all of a sudden I see this,” said Guillen. “Kind of scared to get on one now.”
Both of the derailed cars were empty, but the other 79 were carrying corn and other agriculture items.
Union Pacific is still investigating what caused the train to derail.