Rail, road accidents snarl holiday travel

Two people were in critical condition, Elmwood Park Fire Chief Michael Marino said. No one aboard the train was reported injured.

Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said it appeared that crossing gates were working properly when the train went through the intersection, though witnesses gave conflicting reports.

In the nation's capital, those hoping for an early getaway were delayed early yesterday after a tanker truck carrying 8,700 gallons of gasoline exploded on Interstate 95. The driver was able to escape unharmed after he noticed one of his rear wheels burning as he headed south from Baltimore about 5 a.m. EST.

''This is not what we needed to start this travel day," said Lon Anderson, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. ''This is a reminder of just how fragile our transportation system is."

For air travelers, the holiday rush started more smoothly than expected at airports in Miami, Detroit, Boston, Denver, and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Despite some high wind in the Northeast and ground delays at New York's LaGuardia Airport, ''everything's going relatively smoothly," said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Greg Martin. He noted that about 55,000 flights were scheduled yesterday, 20 percent more than on a normal Wednesday.

The Air Transport Association predicted 21.7 million people would fly on US airlines from Nov. 19 to Nov. 29, slightly more than last year's record number.

AAA said more than 37 million people would travel by car at least 50 miles from home during the long holiday weekend. The association, citing a telephone survey, said the number of Thanksgiving travelers would be up 0.8 percent from last year.

''I'm glad gas is not $3 anymore," Kate Kehoe said as she filled her tank in Ann Arbor, Mich., for a trip of about 55 miles to Flint.

Kehoe said she was not worried about the snow that was falling across the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley. The snow also caused no problems at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports, which expected nearly 2 million passengers during the holiday weekend.

But in Indiana, numerous traffic accidents were attributed to snow. No serious injuries were reported.

Fog was the culprit in Idaho, stranding travelers in Boise.

Elsewhere in the West, ''it's just beautiful traveling weather," Nancy Daniels said during a break at a truck stop in Sterling, Colo., as she and her family drove to Minnesota for ''a big ol' family reunion."