Union Pacific train derails in New Mexico

High winds were a contributing factor to the Wednesday morning incident in which about two dozen railcars fell from a trestle onto a river bed.

   Work is underway to clear the area in eastern New Mexico where about two dozen railcars landed in a ravine after derailing Wednesday morning, said Union Pacific spokesperson Tim McMahan in an email.
   New Mexico State Police said high winds were a contributing factor to the Union Pacific derailment near Logan, where the railcars fell from a trestle over the riverbed. No injuries were reported, according to police.
    The National Weather Service earlier issued a high wind warning, which said the storm moving through the area would produce “one of the strongest wind events in years for West Texas and Southeast New Mexico,” the Associated Press reported.
   The railcars that derailed were at the end of a Union Pacific train that was carrying intermodal containers with mixed freight and consisted of two locomotives and 73 cars, McMahan said.
   State Sen. Pat Woods said the derailed cars were empty, according to KRWG.
   Traffic on Highway 469 was closed for about an hour due to the crash, according to KTUL, but rail traffic has stopped because of severe damage to the bridge. McMahan said he did not have an estimate on when normal operations will resume.