The train derailed in the area of 9th and Rhode Island Ave NE around 6:40 a.m. Officials say 15 cars overturned.
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CSX says it is preparing to clean up the derailment site, which will involve replacing soil and laying new track. The railroad says that overnight, rail cars that were not involved in Sunday’s derailment were moved away from the site along with several cars that had derailed.
Officials found that another derailed auto had been leaking non-hazardous calcium chloride, CSX said.
Crews are offloading ethanol from one auto that derailed to ensure that the vehicle can be moved from the tracks safely.
The derailment, about 70 cars into the train, spilled half the liquid contents of a 15,500-gallon tanker containing sodium hydroxide, D.C. Fire and EMS Deputy Chief John Donnelly said.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said no trains will be running on the tracks Monday and CSX couldn’t say how long the cleanup might take. While they are making progress in clearing the site, it has been causing delays for some passenger rail lines such as Metro and MARC.
– A massive cleanup effort is ongoing after a CSX freight train derailed along Rhode Island Avenue in Washington D.C. on Sunday morning.
MARC officials said commuters should expect major services disruptions on the Brunswick Line Monday.
The Brunswick Line on the MARC Train is now blocked between Union Station and Silver Spring due to a CSX freight train derailment.
Amtrak said in a statement Monday that its Capitol Limited train, which runs daily between Washington and Chicago, won’t run between Pittsburgh and the District of Columbia.
One of the most hotly debated projects in recent years, the tunnel project revived concerns about the safety and security of the city’s railways, prompting the D.C. Council two years ago to allocate funding to conduct a comprehensive rail study that would provide an assessment of all rail service: passenger, commuter and freight. Metro officials had hoped to have Red Line service fully restored by Sunday night. No injuries were immediately reported. Officials advise Metro riders to use the Green Line service as an alternative.
In the video, taken from a camera at WMATA’s Rhode Island Avenue metro stop, several cars appear to hurtle sideways off the tracks, creating a pileup near the station.
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“First, let me apologize to the community for the inconvenience and the alarm that the derailment caused this morning”, she said.
