(The Times-Picayune posted the following article on its website on March 6.)
NEW ORLEANS — Repairs to CSX railroad tracks in eastern New Orleans where 16 freight cars derailed late Monday night were expected to be finished Wednesday by 8 p.m., but what caused the problem is still under investigation, a CSX spokeswoman said Wednesday afternoon.
Jane Covington of CSX said the derailment caused the company to reroute one freight train and hold about 30 others.
The accident, which also left dozens of cars shifting and leaning precariously, happened when two freight trains passed each other in the area of Michoud Boulevard and Old Gentilly Road near the Folger Coffee Co. plant, according to the New Orleans Fire Department.
The CSX train that was headed out of the city had loaded cars, and the incoming train had empty cars, Fire Department spokesman Roman Nelson said. He said one of the damaged freight cars contained clothing, electronics and dry goods. A chemical car held a dry, noncorrosive substance, and 36 other tank cars were empty, he said.
Repair crews spent Tuesday righting some of the freight cars and using flatbed rail cars to remove others. CSX told the Fire Department that the track roadbed should be repaired and new tracks laid by Wednesday night.