(The Associated Press circulated the following article on January 29.)
JASPER, Ala. — A railroad track reopened into downtown Jasper after cleanup of a 31-car derailment that dumped tons of steel cargo.
An eastbound Burlington Northern train derailed just after 10 p.m. Wednesday less than a mile from downtown. No one was injured.
The track was cleared and reopened Friday, said Joseph Faust, a spokesman for the railroad company.
The derailed cars were either carrying steel, lumber, ash or were empty. Faust said the cause of the derailment remains under investigation.
Several homes on streets that parallel the railroad at the crash site were untouched.
However, some cars came as close as an estimated 50 yards to a few houses and caused some minor grounds damage, according to officials at the scene.
Faust said the services of several heavy-equipment companies were needed in the massive cleanup.
Much of the cleanup centered on a bridge that crosses above Third Avenue. Faust said there was extensive damage to the bridge, and many concrete panels had to be rebuilt.