(The following story by John Futty appeared on The Columbus Dispatch website on August 18, 2009.)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The railroad track blocked Sunday by the derailment of a coal train in the Arena District could be open to rail traffic by this morning, a CSX spokesman said.
The six cars that toppled and spilled their coal were righted or removed from the track by about 11 p.m. Sunday, Bob Sullivan said. An investigation into the cause of the derailment wasn’t completed yesterday.
CSX trains were involved in 30 of the 73 derailments in Ohio last year and 20 of 39 from January through May of this year, the Federal Railroad Administration said. “Track defects” was listed as the most common cause.
In Sunday’s incident, six of the train’s 101 cars went off the track at the Neil Avenue overpass just south of Vine Street. No one was injured.
The derailment occurred beside Lifestyle Communities Pavilion. One of the cars toppled near the tour bus for the band the Pretenders, who performed at the music pavilion Sunday night, said Amy Cooper, a spokeswoman for the venue.
The train contained no hazardous material.
A hazardous-material spill Downtown would have posed challenges for emergency responders, said Battalion Chief David Whiting of the Columbus Fire Division.
“The biggest issue would be evacuation because of how many people might be down there,” he said. “We have procedures in place to deal with whatever the hazard is. Let’s hope it never happens down there but, if it does, we’re prepared.”
Trains are allowed to carry hazardous material through Downtown without notifying local emergency- management officials.