A freight train derailment near south suburban Joliet made for a difficult commute for Amtrak passengers overnight.
Two cars from a freight train derailed around 9 p.m. while laying rock during track work south of the Joliet Amtrak station Sunday night, according to Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis.
No one was injured in the derailment but the delay kept an Amtrak train from being able to travel its scheduled route from St. Louis to Union Station late Sunday night.
Amtrak said the train was stopped in Dwight and charter buses were brought in to take passengers the rest of the way.
The first of three busloads of passengers arrived around 3:30 a.m. Monday, nearly four and a half hours after they were scheduled to arrive by train.
“I just wanted to get here to be safe,” said passenger K.C. Thompson. “It was very challenging, but they took good care of us. Hey, we’re finally home.”
One passenger said the trip was “the longest ride of his life.”
“We should have just took a bus,” said passenger Jahquan Randall.
Local
Officials said the track work was completed around 10 p.m., but the derailment was fixed until 1:30 a.m. The track was expected to reopen around 5:30 a.m.
