Train Comes Off Track In Alpine, Texas

ALPINE, Texas (AP) – Cleanup was under way in West Texas on Wednesday after nearly 90 cars from a train carrying hazardous materials derailed and prompted temporary evacuations, Union Pacific Corp. said.

The train was traveling from Louisiana to California when 86 cars came off the track around 11:50 p.m. Tuesday. The two-person crew was not injured, said James Barnes, a spokesman with Omaha, Neb.-based UP.

A dozen or so homes were evacuated as a precaution, but residents returned home after officials determined no chemicals had been released, Barnes said. Some cars were carrying a solvent used in the chemical and pharmaceutical field..

The cause of the derailment was under investigation, Barnes said.

Alpine is about 220 miles east of El Paso.