(The Associated Press circulated the following article on December 6.)
CHRISTOPHER, Ill. — A stretch of Union Pacific railroad in southern Illinois reopened Tuesday, a day after a freight train derailed and spilled 20,000 gallons of chemicals.
Crews reopened the route Tuesday afternoon after testing the stability of 1,200 feet of track replaced since the derailment of about one-fourth of the 83-car train bound for Chicago from Houston, Union Pacific Corp. spokesman James Barnes said.
The accident occurred about 2:30 a.m. Monday near Christopher, a town of about 2,800, about 20 miles north of Carbondale.
The spill prompted the voluntary evacuation of more than 70 homes within a half mile of the wreckage site. About a dozen people were treated at area hospitals for mild symptoms related to the spill, including burning or irritation of the throat, eyes and nose, officials said.
Residents were allowed back in their homes later Monday.
Ben Burkhamer, a spokesman for the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency, said Tuesday that efforts to clean up the spill — largely a petroleum product used as an additive for lubricating oil and a petroleum diesel-type lubricant — could continue into the week.
“It is not considered a threat to the general public,” he said.
The cause of the derailment has not been determined, Barnes said.