Train derailment in East Austin nearly misses apartment complex
AUSTIN, Texas - Seven freight cars, some filled with gravel, fell off the tracks early Tuesday morning in East Austin.
The train crash came close to smashing into the E6 Apartments. The impact was a jolt for residents like Nick Moreau.
"I actually felt it when I heard it, and that's what woke me up. Initially, I was sleeping in my bed, and this train normally comes around every morning at 3:30 a.m. on the dot, and around 3:45 a.m. was on. I was actually like my bed shaking the whole apartment, and it just sounded like a huge bang, like a bunch of us thought it was all the dumpsters being taken out at once," said Moreau.
The fright train is operated by WatCo, a transportation company based in Kansas. The tracks are owned by CapMetro, but maintained by Herzog, and FOX 7 was told the transit agency will not be stuck with the repair bill.
RELATED: Train derailment in East Austin; CapMetro rail service disrupted
Investigators spent the morning clearing the wreckage and trying to determine the cause of the derailment. The weight limit on this section of track, for freight cars, is 286,000 pounds, according to a spokesperson with CapMetro.
Traffic was detoured off 7th St. and two others around the derailment. The cars traveling on 7th were detoured, even though the rail cars blocking the roadway did not jump the track. The problem was getting a WatCo crew to East Austin to uncouple the cars and move them away from the roadway.
Shaun Jordan watched the clean-up from his balcony. It’s a familiar sight. This is the third derailment along these tracks since he moved in.
"Well, I'm glad that it was rocks, and they ship gravel through here all night. But there are cars that look like they carry oil or chemicals or something there. They're liquid containers. And I'm just happy they spilled rocks this time," said Jordan.
The reoccurring crisis on the rails is frustrating, but Jordan did have high praise for the utility crews who arrived. Austin Energy posted pictures of a utility pole that was knocked down by the crash.
Power was cut off to 82 customers, but the lights came back on around 10 a.m. It wasn't soon enough for the UT Elementary Charter School. Classes were canceled. It was picture day for students like Joseph Delgado, who was disappointed about not being in class. Joseph, his sister, and their dad walked down to get a look at the wreck.
"I think it's actually kind of sad that it, like flipped," said Avalia Delgado.
The freight train derailment also derailed morning commutes on Metro Rail, in and out of downtown Austin. CapMetro bridged the gap with buses connecting commuters and Red Line trains at the MLK Station.
CapMetro hopes to have the Metro Rail Red Line service to downtown restored in time for the Wednesday morning commute. Metro Rail riders are advised to watch for updates on that from CapMetro.