Amtrak passengers stranded for hours after freight train derails near Joliet

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Amtrak passengers were stranded for hours after a Union Pacific freight train derailed overnight just south of Joliet.

Union Pacific crews were doing maintenance on the track when the wheels of two rail cars that were carrying heavy rock came off the tracks around 9 p.m. Sunday. No one was hurt as a result of the derailment.

As a result, Amtrak trains #306 and #307 were held up for several hours, stranding dozens of passengers traveling between St. Louis and Chicago.

"They said a train derailed in Joliet. That's why we were delayed. We've been waiting for a bus. We've been stuck here for at least four or five hours," said Anthony Broadway, an Amtrak passenger.

"It's actually really aggravating, to sit here since that long. It's wrong. They should do something. Refund our tickets, something. To take this long to get buses," said Tammy Chavez, another Amtrak rider.

Amtrak passengers were eventually placed on coach buses and taken to different destinations.

The tracks reopened early Monday. Two Texas Eagle trains and eight service trains use that stretch of rail between Chicago and St. Louis.