Train derailment in East Austin causes CapMetro and traffic disruptions

Road clearance work is underway after seven train cars overturned in East Austin early Tuesday morning. The Austin Fire Department said no one was injured and no hazardous materials were involved.

Two of the derailed wagons were loaded with gravel, the other five were empty. The 90-car train was traveling on the north-south portion of the railway tracks. Capital Metro and the subcontractor that operates the rail system, Herzog, are on site.

Lydia Romitti lives in a building next to the track near East Sixth Street and Robert T. Martinez Jr. Street. She said she heard the derailment before 4 a.m

“It's usually pretty loud, but it sounded like a louder crash, almost like the train was braking or applying the brakes,” she said.

Romitti said there was a loud “boom” accompanied by a flash of lightning.

“It looked like lightning when it hit our rooms,” she said. She ran to her balcony and saw that the train had derailed.

Officials said they expect the area to be cleared around 5 p.m. Until then, the roads near the scene of the accident will remain closed. Motorists are asked to avoid the area.

Michael Minasi

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KUT News

CapMetro rail services are temporarily suspended. The agency said staff will be present at stations to direct commuters to buses that run along the railway line.

Officials said one of the derailed train cars struck a utility pole. Austin Energy's outage map showed about 350 customers in the area were without power, but that number decreased throughout the morning.

This is a developing story.