A train jumped off the tracks Wednesday in downtown Dubuque west of the former meatpacking plant, temporarily closing several intersections.
The stretch of 16th Street between Maple and Elm streets, a popular route for connecting with U.S. 151/61 into Wisconsin, will remain closed for a few days, said Dubuque Assistant Police Chief Terry Tobin.
Traffic will be diverted to 14th and 15th streets, which reopened Wednesday afternoon.
The train remained upright and wasn't carrying any hazardous materials. It was hauling grain to Chicago, said Jeremiah Christensen, manager of Train Operations for Iowa Chicago and Eastern Railroads.
"We don't know what happened yet," he said.
Just before noon, eight cars jumped off the track and the wheels dug into the ground, tearing up the asphalt at the 16th Street intersection. Just north of the intersection, two tilting cars were partially buried in rock and debris. Part of the track was ripped from the ground and stuck out from underneath the cars. Some of the wheels were twisted sideways, and one side
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Each car weighs at least 30 tons, Christensen said. Crews will use heavy machinery to empty the cars and lift each one back onto the tracks.
The train is expected to be cleared within a day or two, he said.
This is the third train derailment in the tri-states in the past four months.
On Oct. 8, a Canadian National train carrying ethanol derailed near the VeraSun Energy plant in Dyersville, Iowa. A locomotive and five cars tipped over, but no ethanol leaked out and no injuries were reported.
A car-sized boulder fell onto train tracks near Guttenberg, Iowa, in July, sending train cars into the Mississippi River. Diesel fuel and transmission oil leaked into the river, flowing at least 10 miles downstream.
Train Jumps Tracks - Several train cars derailed near 16th Street in Dubuque Wednesday afternoon. Several streets were blocked as a result.
