Early Tuesday morning, residents of East Austin experienced a power outage when a train carrying gravel derailed and collided with a utility pole. According to KXAN, the incident occurred near the intersection of East Sixth Street and Robert T. Martinez Jr. Street shortly after 4:30 a.m., leading to more than 250 customers losing power initially, although by 7:30 a.m., that number was reduced to 118.
AFD, APD and #ATEMS onscene of a train derailment near E 6th St and Robert T Martinez Jr St. 7 train cars turned over - 2 cars contain gravel, 5 cars are empty. No injuries. No hazardous materials. No structures involved. Total train car length is 90 cars. pic.twitter.com/dW06PHqjaJ
— Austin Fire Info (@AustinFireInfo) October 22, 2024
The Austin Fire Department has stated the derailed train was composed of 90 cars with seven flipping over, this happened while the University of Texas Elementary Charter School, located at 2200 E. 6th St., was closed for the day due to the power outage caused by the derailment. CBS Austin reported that the Austin Police Department confirmed the derailment took place at around 3:40 a.m. along tracks that run adjacent to East Sixth Street, noting that this area is in proximity to several apartment complexes.
It has been reported by the Austin Fire Department that while no injuries were reported no hazardous materials were involved in the accident, fire crews, Austin Energy, and representatives from CapMetro were all stationed at the scene to manage the aftermath, and Austin Energy swiftly responded to de-energize downed power lines for safety purposes and begin restoring electricity to those affected. Officials anticipated that they would clear the tracks by 5 p.m. and have advised both drivers and pedestrians to avoid the area until then, as per KXAN.
