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A Union Pacific conductor told 911 dispatchers that railroad employees saw someone running away from the train tracks before a derailment that shut down part of I-135, a series of open records requests by The Eagle shows.
The derailment was reported at 11:43 p.m. on March 20 in two separate calls, one by a Union Pacific manager and another by a conductor, according to 911 call logs. Around 10 cars derailed, damaging the bridge support columns holding up northbound I-135.
The derailment forced a full closure of the highway’s northbound lanes overnight as crews assessed the damage and cleared the scene. One lane on northbound I-135 reopened the next afternoon. Officials with the Kansas Department of Transportation said it’s unclear when the interstate will fully reopen…