Fredericksburg Advance: Breaking News: Spanberger Presses Federal Railroad Administration for Review of Derailment

FREDERICKSBURG ADVANCE, ADELE UPHAUS

Rep. Abigail Spanberger is pressing the Federal Railroad Administration to conduct an incident review of the July CSX derailment that damaged property in the Cobblestone Square neighborhood in Fredericksburg.

In a letter to Administrator Amit Bose today, Spanberger also asked the FRA to “broadly evaluate rail infrastructure, safety protocols, and the proximity of rail lines to residential areas across the Fredericksburg region,” according to a press release from her office.

Spanberger visited the site of the derailment earlier this month, along with city officials and residents of Mayfield, a neighborhood near the site of the incident.

The derailment was caused when train cars that were not properly tied down rolled down the racks, hit a split-point derail device, and ran into a sound wall and residential garages at Cobblestone Square.

“This incident, coupled with longstanding concerns among community members about CSX operations in the area, has caused serious unease for families living in Fredericksburg,” Spanberger wrote in her letter.

“The scale of this event—and the potential for a worst-case, deadly scenario—has shaken our neighbors, and we must take every step to provide accountability, safety, and peace of mind for the Fredericksburg community,” she continued. “I understand that your Administration generally investigates incidents involving runaway equipment and derailments of a large number of cars that cause extensive property damage. Given the July 20 derailment involved runaway cars and resulted in property damage to residents’ garages, the FRA should initiate an investigation into the derailment to guarantee that a similar incident does not occur again.”

Spanberger also noted in her letter that Mayfield residents have long expressed concerns about CSX operations in the area, especially the practice of storing tanker cars filled with hazardous materials at its railyard behind the neighborhood.

“Accordingly, in addition to the incident investigation, I also urge the FRA to broadly evaluate rail infrastructure, safety protocols, and the proximity of rail lines to residential areas in the Fredericksburg region. Fredericksburg residents deserve to feel safe in their homes,” Spanberger wrote.

She urged the FRA to work closely with the City of Fredericksburg and copied Mayor Kerry Devine on the letter to Bose.