April 27th, 2011 | 
Author: HOUSTON, TX – A Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) train derailed near downtown Houston on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.
BNSF train derails near downtown Houston, TX on Tuesday, April 26, 2011. Photo credit: KTRK TV Houston, TX
Houston is located in Harris County, Texas in the southern part of the state, about 51 miles northwest of Galveston and about 163 miles southeast of Austin.
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The derailment occurred about 10:00 a. m. near the intersection of Emanuel and Commerce Streets just east of downtown Houston.
Location of BNSF train derailment just east of downtown Houston, TX near the intersection of Emanuel and Commerce Streets.
The rail cars were hauling plastic pellets (powdered plastic). According to officials, the plastic pellets did not pose an environmental problem. Since there were no hazardous materials involved in the incident, no one had to be evacuated.
A total of seven rail cars left the tracks in the mishap and two of them overturned, spilling their load of plastic pellets. The train was traveling to Houston, TX on its way from Memphis, TN.
There were no reports of any injuries and fortunately no railroad workers were injured in the mishap.
According to a BNSF spokesman the train was owned by the railroad company (BNSF) but the rail line is owned by Union Pacific. They planned to bring in cleanup equipment to clean up the spilled plastic. Cleanup efforts could be expected to last a couple of days.
The cause of the accident is not known at this time but it is currently under investigation.
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