Amtrak delayed Monday after derailment

Amtrak had a minor derailment on the tracks west of Havre Monday afternoon, but no one was seriously injured and the track has already been reopened.

A release from Amtrak said Empire Builder Train 8, traveling eastbound from Seattle and Portland to Chicago, was delayed by three-and-a-half hours after one set of wheels on one of its 10 cars lost contact with the track as it approached the station in Havre.

An ambulance and fire engine responded to the derailment treating two people with minor injuries, who decided to stay on the train.

Hill County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Amanda Frickel said the train derailed near Patrick Construction, and the damage was relatively minor.

There were no reported injuries amoung the 213 passengers and 17 crew members, the release said, and the passengers in the car were moved into the rest of the train to proceed to their destinations. 

Amtrak said the cause of the incident is under investigation.

The derailment occurred three days after a freight train derailed a few miles east of Havre and less than two years after an Amtrak derailment near Joplin killed three people and injured dozens more.