(The following report appeared on the Richmond Times-Dispatch website on December 1, 2009.)
RICHMOND, Va. — A portion of a train carrying coal derailed just north of downtown Richmond overnight. No injuries were reported, but passenger-rail service between the capital and Newport News was affected.
Richmond fire Lt. Shawn L. Jones said authorities were trying to determine what caused the derailment on CSX tracks at 3:01 a.m. just east of Hospital Street, near Seventh Street. Twelve cars lost their load and two others were partially off the track, Jones said.
CSX crews as well as Crane Masters, a private contractor, were working to clear the intersection of Seventh and Hospital streets, which was blocked by the derailment and likely would remain so until about 7:30 a.m., Jones said. The intersection at Fifth and Hospital streets was also blocked.
The derailment blocked tracks used by Amtrak for its passenger service between Richmond’s Main Street Station and Newport News.
“Our plan today is to bus between Richmond and Newport News,” Amtrak spokeswoman Carina Romero said shortly before daybreak. “We will have service, but it will be by bus”.
Jones said CSX and Crane Masters were working to first clear the intersections blocked by the derailment, then to get the cars back on the tracks and clean up the spilled coal — a process that likely would take several hours.
It was not immediately clear where the train originated or where its destination was. Jones said the train appeared to have 50 or more cars.