At least nine passengers were hurt Monday when an Amtrak train slammed into a tractor-trailer in southern Illinois.
A crew member and nine passengers on a train from Chicago to St. Louis were taken to hospitals with injuries not considered life-threatening, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said.
The truck driver got out of the truck before it was struck and was not injured, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The crash happened about 11:15 a.m. near Brighton, about 40 miles northeast of St. Louis. [Map]
Macoupin County Sheriff Don Albrecht said the cab of the truck became stuck on the crossing around 11:15 a.m. Monday and the driver left the vehicle when he heard the train
The collision caused the locomotive and four of the cars to slip off the rails, though they remained upright and coupled.
Chartered buses brought about 30 remaining southbound passengers to their destinations in Alton and St. Louis.
Local
Amtrak released the following information about service between Chicago and St. Louis following the crash:
Lincoln Service
Monday’s Trains 303, 304 & 307, unable to operate between Springfield and St. Louis, are represented by chartered buses between those cities, covering the stops at Carlinville and Alton.
Monday’s Trains 305 & 306, unable to operate between Bloomington/Normal and St. Louis, are represented by chartered buses between those cities and/or other trains covering the stops at Lincoln, Springfield, Carlinville and Alton.
Tuesday’s Train 302 will originate in Springfield instead of St. Louis, with passengers ticketed from St. Louis, Alton and Carlinville offered alternate transportation on Train 22/322, as below. Other Lincoln Service trains are expected to operate normally on Tuesday.
Texas Eagle
Thanks to cooperation with Union Pacific, Monday's Trains 21/321 operated between Chicago and St. Louis over a detour route, missing the intermediate stops. Passengers ticketed to those stops within Illinois will be provided alternate transportation on Lincoln Service trains, as above.
Tuesday’s Train 22/322 is expected to operate normally in Illinois.
Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.
