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The Texas Eagle,
also known as Train No. 22, en route from San Antonio, hit a
tractor trailer on the tracks about 50 miles south of Chicago,
at about 4 p.m., said Amtrak spokesman Craig Schulz.
He said there were no serious injuries to passengers or crew,
and no immediate information about the truck driver.
A photograph posted to ABC News' website showed the impact of
the collision knocked the truck on its side on the roadway and
peeled away the trailer's roof. The overturned truck was outside
a crossing gate that appeared to be closed.
The train's 203 passengers were taken to Chicago by bus after
waiting at a local high school while tracks were being checked
for damages, Schulz said.
The rails, signals and other equipment in that area are owned by
Union Pacific Railroad <UNP.N>, Schulz said.
The collision is one of series of recent passenger train
accidents that have heightened concern about the safety of the
U.S. rail system.
In February, a crowded Metro-North commuter train slammed into a
sport-utility vehicle on the tracks at a crossing in Valhalla,
New York, north of New York City. The fiery crash and explosion
killed seven people, injured a dozen and forced the evacuation
of hundreds.
Just last month, an Amtrak train traveling at more than 100
miles per hour derailed north Philadelphia, killing eight people
and injuring more than 200.
The Texas Eagle was being held in Wilmington for an
investigation, Schulz said.
(Reporting by Sandra Maler in Washington and Barbara Goldberg in
New York; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Sandra Maler)
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