Broken Rail Blamed in North Arkansas Derailment

Union Pacific has determined the cause of an accident that led to a train derailment in White County, Ark., in March.

Union Pacific spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza says the derailment was caused by a broken rail. She tells the Daily Citizen that investigators discovered the broken rail after the derailment and immediately replaced it.

The accident happened March 23 near McRae. Officials say 25 of the train’s 56 railcars derailed.

An engineer was hurt after one car crashed into a lead engine of a parked locomotive. Espinoza says the engineer was released from a hospital two days after the accident.

The train was headed from Laredo, Texas, to Salem, Ill., and was hauling mainly auto parts. No hazardous material was involved.