POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Tri-Rail delays are expected after a train derailed early Thursday morning in Pompano Beach, leaving frustrated passengers scrambling to find ways to get to where they were going.
The northbound train derailed after hitting some debris on the track between McNab Road and Atlantic Boulevard.
Edwin Bonilla told Local 10 News that the train suddenly hit something and then the lights went out.
"That's it," Bonilla said. "And now we're stuck here."
Of the 56 people on the train when it went off the track, one man was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
"When the train stopped, he fell, and the bike fell on top of him," Bonilla said.
One engine caught fire, spilling about 2,200 gallons of diesel fuel on the track.
Bonnie Arnold, spokeswoman for the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which operates the Tri-Rail, said everyone was evacuated.
Passengers on the train were bused to the next station north in Pompano Beach, but the derailment affected all Tri-Rail passengers who depend on the trains to get to work. Passengers traveling in either direction had to take a bus from the Cypress Creek station to the Pompano Beach station.
Betty Gomez, who had two houses to clean, vowed not to ride the train anymore after the delay.
Joe Rogers was also affected, and it wasn't the first time.
"About seven times in three months," Rogers said when asked if he's experienced this before. "Yeah, it's getting old."
Rogers said he thinks the shuttling of passengers from station to station could be better organized.
"I'm not complaining, I'm just thinking they could organize a little better."
The derailment also shut down traffic on Cypress Creek Road, McNab Road and Third Street from Powerline Road to Dixie Highway.
Tri-Rail train service was impacted for the remainder of Thursday and Friday morning.
The cause of the derailment is under investigation.