(The following story by Kate McCardell appeared on The Floridan website on October 20.)
MARIANNA, Fla. — Another train has derailed in the Grand Ridge area, leaving some residents concerned for their safety.
The incident occurred Saturday around 9 a.m., off Old Spanish Trail Road within approximately one mile from Grand Ridge Elementary School, according to authorities.
According to Capt. Dennis Robinson of Jackson County Fire and Rescue, five locomotive engines and 26 rail cars were involved in the derailment.
Several homes within a half-mile radius were evacuated immediately while officials inspected the area for spilled chemicals. Residents were allowed to return to their houses around 11 a.m.
“Very luckily, the hazardous chemicals that were on the train were not in cars involved in the derailment,” said Robinson.
He noted that no one was injured from the incident and that damage was limited to the train tracks and rail cars involved.
Cleanup, said Robinson, should take an estimated three to five days and should not interfere with vehicular traffic or present a danger to the public.
Robbie Taylor lives about 100 yards from the train tracks and saw the train derail.
“I was out in my yard when I saw it happen,” said Robinson. “I’m the one who called 9-1-1.”
A former fire and rescue worker, Taylor said the response from emergency officials and CSX was “terrific,” but he expressed serious concerns about the condition of the tracks in the Grand Ridge area.
“It happens too often around here,” said Robinson. “Just about four months ago we had a train derail nearby. The tracks are in dire need of replacement. Some of those cars had chemicals and the tracks get real close to some houses. We really dodged a bullet this time.”
Another derailment in the Grand Ridge area was reported by the Jackson County Floridan last January.
The January derailment occurred at approximately 4 a.m., and government officials were not informed of it until about 10 a.m. When they did learn of the derailment, it was not through CSX, rather from curious residents.
According to CSX spokesperson Bob Sullivan, the derailment was not caused by a broken track, despite allegations of its disrepair made by the engineer and Taylor.
“The track was broken after the train derailed,” said Sullivan. “The track is visually inspected twice a week by CSX employees who are well-trained in engineering and track maintenance. We try not to do anything at all that would endanger the community’s residents or our employees. The only thing that was spilled was some leaked diesel fuel. We have crews on the scene to clean that up and we’re working with local authorities.”
Sullivan said he could not recall immediately any other occasions when a train derailed in the Grand Ridge area.
“I would need to go back and look at the records. And you always have to look at what causes a particular derailment. It’s not always because of a broken track. We’re going to maintain that that track is at least compliant with federal standards,” said Sullivan.
He said CSX will attempt to determine the cause of the derailment through an investigation. Results of the investigation will be reported to the Federal Railroad Administration.