(The following article by Brian Livingston was posted on the Meridian Star website on February 6.)
MERIDIAN, Miss. — Second minor derailment in three weeks blocks streets. Motorists traveling through Meridian in the A and B Street areas and on North and South Frontage Roads near 22nd Avenue over to 17th Avenue, frequently have to pause for slow moving freight trains.
Becoming more common, however, are minor train derailments that cause more extensive delays and detours.
For the second time in three weeks, a derailment near 22nd Avenue and A Street Monday cut off normal avenues of travel for many motorists who had to find alternate routes.
At about 9 a.m., a Meridian & Bigbee crew, operating a Kansas City Southern Railway train, on the Meridian & Bigbee lead, derailed five cars. Two of the five derailed cars turned over. The cause of the derailment is under investigation.
The derailment blocked off B Street and the two frontage roads on either side of Interstate 20. Three of the cars were empty but a fourth spilled non-hazardous plastic pellets, according to Kansas City Southern Railroad Spokesperson Doniele Kane.
“The cause of the derailment is still under investigation,” added Kane late Monday.
Heavy equipment had to be brought in to right the train cars. There was no word as to just how long it would take to restore service to that section of track.