I-40 remains closed following derailment near Arizona-New Mexico state line
LIPTON, Ariz. — Crews from New Mexico’s McKinley County Fire & Rescue plan to extinguish the burning cars of a BNSF train tonight (Saturday, April 27), the Albuquerque Journal reports.
The train derailed and caught fire Friday afternoon, closing Interstate 40 near the Arizona-New Mexico border and leading to evacuation of Navajo Nation residents within a 2-mile radius of the derailment site [see “BNSF derailment, fire …,” Trains News Wire, April 26, 2024]. About a half-dozen railcars that caught fire were carrying non-odorous propane, McKinley Chief Lawrence Montoya Jr. told the Journal; the train’s cargo also included gasoline.
The Federal Railroad Administration is https://twitter.com/SecretaryPete/status/1784034951408603538 into the incident; the National Transportation Safety Board said in https://twitter.com/NTSB_Newsroom/status/1784226580081803429 that it will also be sending investigators to observe. The NTSB said in a statement that at least 22 cars had derailed.
I-40 remains closed, as does BNSF’s Southern Transcon. BNSF said in an advisory to customers today that “rail operations have been significantly impacted,” with some trains rerouted, where possible, and cautioned that traffic designated to move through the route should expect delays into early next week. Engineering teams and equipment are on the scene to conduct recovery operations, the railroad reports.
With the BNSF line closed, Amtrak’s Southwest Chief has been canceled between Los Angeles and Albuquerque at least through Sunday, according to the train status featured on the Amtrak website.
