Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.
KEARNEY, Neb. — Authorities believe rail cars from one train jumped the track and slammed into a train rolling in the opposite direction Wednesday night, causing 58 coal-laden and empty train cars to derail east of Kearney.
There were no injuries in the mishap, but Union Pacific was at work Thursday replacing 2,600 feet of track in its three-track mainline that was damaged in the derailment.
The accident left some train cars stacked two levels high.
The derailment was east of Kearney near Ravenna Road and U.S. Highway 30 between Kearney and Gibbon.
According to Mark Davis, a Union Pacific public relations representative, the derailment occurred at about 8 p.m. Wednesday.
It involved an eastbound train traveling from Wyoming to Kansas City, and a westbound train going from Kansas City to Wyoming.
“Somewhere mid-train on one of them there was a derailment,” Davis said. “Some of the cars spilled over into another train, and derailed cars on that train.”
The eastbound, fully loaded coal train, which had 105 cars, had 40 of its cars derail. The westbound, empty coal train, had 126 cars and derailed 18.
Davis said, as of 4:30 a.m., 12 of the 40 full cars had been moved out of the way, and 16 of the 18 empty cars were removed.
As a result of the derailment all three main-line tracks were damaged.
“One track they need about 300 feet to open it, 400 feet on the second track, and 1,900 on the third track,” Davis said.
He said the cause of the derailment is under investigation.
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
