Chicago Commuter Train Slams Into Cars; Thanksgiving Travelers Face Busy Airports, Crowded Highways
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to get to that situation in Chicago in just a moment. In the meanwhile, hi, everybody. Thanks for joining us. Paula is off tonight. Tonight, the terminals are packed and it is stop-and-go on the interstates, as an entire nation makes the trek home for the holidays. Planes, trains and automobiles, the headlong rush to relax -- and the worst may be yet to come. Up in flames -- the spectacular danger that could sneak up on you when you fry your Thanksgiving turkey.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The flames are 20 feet high. There's black smoke in the air.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't believe it is safe enough for people to use.</s>COLLINS: Common mistakes, scorching results -- what you need to know to keep your family safe. And feeling their pain -- a comic book that is trying to turn kids against their parents. Are millions of fishermen cold-blooded killers? Are these intelligent feeling creatures? Tonight, the surprising argument over cruelty to fish. Fasten your seat belts, everybody. We're down to a mere four hours before Thanksgiving. And millions of travelers need more time to get there. So, how do we know this? Just look. In our control room, we have got our eyes on traffic cameras and Web sites, tracking planes, trains and the nation's interstates. We have also got boots on the ground, Allan Chernoff at New York's La Guardia Airport. Gusty winds there are causing flight delays at airports all across the nation. Gary Nurenberg is at Washington, D.C.'s Union Train Station. And Ted Rowlands is on the road, California's 101 Freeway, to be exact. That's north of L.A. Sean Callebs is near Chicago, though. That is the scene of this hour's developing story. A commuter train has run into about a dozen cars there. And, Sean, we want to know right away if everybody is OK.</s>SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, we can tell you that 13 people have been injured. All of the injured were in vehicles when that commuter train slammed into that intersection, the train going somewhere between 55 and 60 miles an hour at the time of that horrific accident. Three of those injured are known to be in critical condition. That could change as the night goes on. We will continue to update you. What we do know, this was an express train leaving Chicago's Union Station at 4:25 Central time. So, it was moving at -- at rapid speed when it went through an intersection in Elmwood Park. That's an area just about 13 miles outside of the city. Normally, this is a train packed with commuters at this hour, somewhere between 400 and 500. And if you just look at the devastation, the chaos on the ground and the number of onlookers at this hour, it is almost amazing that only 13 people are known to be hurt at this hour. And, of course, this comes on the busiest travel day of the year. AAA tells us some 37 million people are going to travel at least 50 miles over the next couple of days to spend Thanksgiving with loved ones. And how are they affected on the roads? Well, an overwhelming percentage, about 80 percent of that 37 million, 31 million, will be traveling on the interstates, the roads. And what kind of gas prices will they be paying? Well, we will take a look at that. The average is $2.27 a gallon. That is up 30 cents from last year. However, $2.27 sounds like a bargain, compared to what we paid over the summer. So, certainly, a lot of travelers are not going to be affected by the gas prices. AAA says a record number of people are expected to be out on the roads. And just what are the roads like? Well, we are going to check in with Ted Rowlands out on the 101 to tell us that part of the story.</s>TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sean, we are driving on the 101. As you can see, we are not alone in Southern California. They estimate about three million people will be traveling this holiday weekend. And about 80 percent of those will be on the road, as you mentioned. And, as you can see, Highway 101 is jampacked and has been for most of the afternoon here. It's 5:00 in the West, meaning that you have a mix of holiday travelers and commuters. And it has made for a complete mess, not only on Highway 101, but on all of the other freeways in Southern California. The number-one destination for Southern Californians this holiday season is Las Vegas, and then also the Bay Area of San Francisco. Highway 101 is one of the arteries that takes you up to Northern California. And a lot these folks are most likely on their way to some holiday destination. We did talk to some folks that were over on Highway Five a few hours ago. And they say their commute to this point has been a complete nightmare.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife is trying to keep them busy and play with the kids. They are trying to watch a DVD. But they're just -- they want to get out of the car and have some fun. So, it's been -- it's been quite a challenge today.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One kid has barfed. The other kid is crying.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, that's how it's been.</s>ROWLANDS: What's it been like out there?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hell. I will never travel again the day before Thanksgiving.</s>ROWLANDS: A lot of people, of course, don't have the option whether or not they are going to travel on the day before Thanksgiving. But if you are planning on hitting the roads, pack the DVD player for the kids and a lot of patience, because, no matter where you are in the country, tonight, you are most likely going to see a lot of this, a lot of people joining you, as you try to get to your holiday destination -- Heidi.</s>COLLINS: Lots -- lots of candy and treats for the kids in the car, too. That always revs them up really nicely.</s>COLLINS: Ted Rowlands and Sean Callebs as well, thanks, you guys. Now, if you are about to head to the airport, even out West, where it's nice, you may face delays there, too. Windy weather in Atlanta, Chicago and the New York area is delaying departures at airports all around the country. Senior correspondent Allan Chernoff is at New York's La Guardia Airport now. Hey, Allan.</s>ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. You have got to see this to believe it, Thanksgiving evening at La Guardia Airport. And have a look. This is the ticket counter area for American Airlines, virtually empty, even though there are nearly a dozen flights left today. What seems to have happened is that people have been taking our advice, been taking the advice of the airlines. They have been arriving very early here. And, right now, there's hardly anyone even going through the security check right down over there, folks arriving several hours before their flights. And, also, the simple fact is, we were busier yesterday, at least in this terminal right here. So, lots of people got out of town yesterday. Also, early this morning, a JetBlue flight, at 5:40 in the morning, was 94 percent full, flying from La Guardia in New York all the way down to Fort Lauderdale -- so, people clearing out of town early. The airlines told La Guardia officials they expected a third more passengers today than on a typical Wednesday. But the general manager of the airport told me he finds it hard to believe that there in fact were more than one-third passengers than a typical Wednesday -- the only real indication on the departure and the arrival boards. We do see delays, as you mentioned -- the worst delay for the moment for departure, Cleveland, one hour. Earlier today, we had delays of two-and-a-half-hours going out to Cleveland. Of course, as you know, there had been storms there earlier in the day. In terms of arrivals, well, we do have delays at -- coming from Atlanta, a half-hour. And we also hear a similar situation at Atlanta Hartsfield, that arrivals there also delayed by approximately a half-hour. And, also, Chicago -- the delays coming in here from Chicago, a half-hour to an hour, and, in Chicago itself, they are experiencing delays, on average, 40 minutes arriving in Chicago -- Heidi.</s>COLLINS: I got to tell you, it's pretty shocking to see the lack of people running around behind you there at La Guardia, of all places. Allan Chernoff, thank you. In the Northeast, train travel is a daily necessity for getting to work. And this year, especially, a lot of people are taking their holiday trips by rail. So, let's check in with Gary Nurenberg. He's at Union Station in Washington, D.C. Hi, Gary.</s>GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there. Amtrak says trains are -- quote -- "generally running on time" and says there are only minor delays, Heidi. The system says this is the busiest day of the year. And, at Union Station in Washington tonight, it looks like it.</s>NURENBERG (voice-over): They are going north.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm headed to Metropark, New Jersey, to go home.</s>NURENBERG: They are going south.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm leaving Union Station, headed to Richmond.</s>NURENBERG: They are doing what train passengers do the night before Thanksgiving.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My grandma lives in Ohio, and I want to go see her and visit her.</s>NURENBERG: But this isn't as cheap as it used to be.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I paid about $160 for this -- for this ticket from Washington to New Jersey, and I can do the same thing on a bus for $40.</s>NURENBERG: Amtrak has added about 60 trains in the Northeast alone to deal with the crush.</s>CLIFF BLACK, AMTRAK SPOKESMAN: We expect to carry more than 600,000 passengers this Thanksgiving week, which is about 30 percent more than we would carry in a normal week.</s>NURENBERG: There is another big change this year. It used to be you could just show up and get on a train. Now the majority of Amtrak trains need advance reservations. And bring your photo I.D., because you are going to need them on Amtrak, too. That's a lesson that Heidi Ford (ph) learned in New York just a few minutes ago. You show up for your train in New York and what happens?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They told me that I needed an I.D., a governmental-issued I.D. And all I had was a picture I.D. and a birth certificate. So, I had to talk to a few people before they let me on the process.</s>NURENBERG: How long a process was that?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was probably about 20 minutes long, and I almost missed my train because of it, but, luckily, I made it in time.</s>NURENBERG: OK. You could fly. You could drive. You could hitchhike. Why take a train?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a lot cheaper than flying. And even though it's longer, it's usually more on time. There's not a lot of delays, such that I have found. So, it works out well.</s>NURENBERG: And, some time next week, you get a driver's license?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully.</s>NURENBERG: OK. Thanks very much.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.</s>NURENBERG: Until she gets her driver's license, more trains for Heidi (ph) -- back to you.</s>COLLINS: We want to -- wait. Well, we want to know the story on why there's no driver's license. Did she fail? No. No. It's not part of the story.</s>COLLINS: All right, Gary Nurenberg, thank you.</s>NURENBERG: We will find out.</s>COLLINS: Thank you so much.</s>NURENBERG: OK.</s>COLLINS: No matter where you are going, the weather will certainly play a big part in your holiday and your trip home. We are going to talk more about that when we come back. Stick around, everybody.