Freight Train Derails in Chicago Suburb, Prompting Temporary Evacuation

Train cars are piled up after a derailment in Matteson, Ill., on June 27, 2024. WLS via The Associated Press

A freight train derailed in a Chicago suburb on June 27, prompting an evacuation order that was later rescinded by local officials, according to an advisory.

The Village of Matteson announced the evacuation of residents in multiple areas near the derailment near 217th Street and Main “due to a large-scale train event.” It also advised residents to prepare “for a long-term evacuation” and urged them to “take any medication and supplies” they may need with them.

Several hours later, the village, which is located in Cook County, Illinois, about 30 miles south of Chicago, said it lifted the mandatory evacuation order and that “the area is now secure.”

“[There] is no immediate danger to the public, but we encourage everyone to remain clear of the area to allow crews to safely and efficiently conduct the clean-up process,” it said.

Local officials told a Chicago affiliate Fox News station that a Canadian National Railway train derailed near the 21000 block of Main Street at around 10:45 a.m. local time. It isn’t clear what the train was hauling.

Before the order was lifted, according to the village’s announcement, people who live one mile south of Main Street were told to evacuate, while areas a mile west of Main Street and a quarter-mile east of Main Street were told to evacuate. Officials told local media that hazmat crews were on the scene of the derailment, suggesting it may have been carrying a type of hazardous material.

Metra Electric trains from Chicago to University Park were affected for several hours. They were cleared to go through the area later on June 27, officials said.

The fire department was checking the train cars for any potential chemical leaks, they told Fox Chicago. Canadian National Railway representatives are also heading to the scene for an investigation, the station reported.

A spokesman for Canadian National Railway told ABC Chicago that 10 train cars that derailed in the incident were carrying “various substances.”

Photos and video footage taken from the scene show that more than a half-dozen train cars were off the track.

The cause of the derailment hasn’t been revealed, and no injuries were reported.

The derailment comes as the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board made allegations against U.S. train operator Norfolk Southern in how it dealt with the February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that led to the burning of vinyl chloride, a highly toxic substance, that was being hauled.

Representatives of Canadian National Railway didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

This is a breaking news story. More details will be added later.