Two businesses were evacuated after a freight train derailed Thursday afternoon in west suburban Aurora.
Between six and eight cars of the 109-car train derailed about 2:15 p.m. near River and Third streets, authorities said.
All of the cars that derailed were empty at the time, BNSF Railway spokesman Andy Williams said.
No injuries were reported, but Aurora Animal Care and Control, 600 S. River, and another business in the same block were evacuated, according to Aurora police.
The city of Aurora said in a statement that the evacuations were “a standard precaution.” Residents were advised to avoid the area and residents in the immediate area were asked to shelter in place.
The train was headed east to Chicago when it derailed, Williams said. Traffic on the railway was expected to return to normal by 7 p.m.
The derailment caused delays for two Amtrak trains that were headed to the West Coast and one Amtrak train headed to Chicago, a spokesman for Amtrak said. The trains will use alternate routes to get to their destinations.
The derailment also impacted Amtrak travel between Chicago and Quincy. A train headed in each direction Thursday evening will not service the central Illinois cities of Plano, Mendota, Princeton and Kewanee.
