MISHAP REROUTES TRAINS

FULTS, Ill. -- A 106-car Union Pacific Railroad coal train derailed late Monday near Fults, Ill., but a Union Pacific official said the broken tracks caused by the accident should be cleared up by about 10 a.m. today.

The train was enroute from Chester, Ill. to Kansas City.

"The cause (of the accident) has been determined to be a broken wheel on the tenth car," said Mark Davis of Union Pacific.

Fults is about 35 miles south of East St. Louis.

"They had extensive damage to the two tracks there, and the derailment blocked both of the tracks," David said.

Crews have been working since the derailment and one of the tracks is expected to be repaired by this morning at around 10, Davis said. The other track will be repaired soon afterward, he said.

There were no injuries or fires, Davis added.

About 2,000 feet of track will have to be replaced, he said.

The tracks are part of the UP's mainline between East St. Louis and Little Rock, Ark.

The derailment forced the Union Pacific and St. Louis-Southwestern (Cotton Belt) railroads to divert their freight trains over the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks from St. Louis, through Cape Girardeau, to Rockview, Mo., north of Chaffee.

At Rockview, the trains are switched onto the the Cotton Belt tracks between Scott City and Delta. The Union Pacific and Cotton Belt have agreements to operate their trains on each others tracks.