Frac Sand Train Derails Near Ballinger

A train pulling 100 cars of frac sand derailed at 1 a.m. this morning near Ballinger. According to Texas-Pacifico spokeswoman Elizabeth Grindstaff, the train was destined for Big Lake when it derailed near milepost 20 east of Talpa.  The event resulted in the damage of 15 of the 100 cars loaded with frac sand.

Upon inspection of the crash scene, a broken rail within the track likely caused the derailment, Grindstaff said.  There were no injuries reported and the track will be back in service within 24 hours, she reported. Grindstaff said that the company does not suspect an operational error on the part of the train engineer.

Railroads such as Texas-Pacifico are required to report derailments to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) when the damage exceeds $1 million. In this case, it appears that the damage will not exceed that amount.