WUSA9: Virginia officials push for answers, accountability after Fredericksburg freight train derailment

WUSA9, MATTHEW TORRES

Officials in Fredericksburg continue to push for more accountability after a freight train derailment destroyed property several weeks ago.

Five rail cars from a CSX freight train crashed into a sound barrier and onto garages in late July because they were improperly tied down, according to a CSX official.

The rail company said the rail cars moved forward and reached a split-rail device, which forced them to derail off the track. The purpose of the derail device is to prevent rail cars from entering the main line.

No one was injured but the incident served as a warning for leaders, including Vice Mayor Chuck Frye.

“We didn’t hear about any fatalities, but it’s just as serious as if it was a fatality to us,” Frye said.

“This recent incident has really unnerved the community in a way we haven’t seen in a while,” Fredericksburg City Manager Timothy Baroody added. 

Community members and U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger gathered on Wednesday at the site near the tracks where the incident occurred. Spanberger sent a letter to CSX last month to demand answers.

After seeing the site and rail yard, Spanberger said she wants to work with CSX to determine how many derail devices are located near homes, where she believes could be a risky area.

“There are many places where 20 years ago, there weren’t housing developments and now that there are, the reality is if there are other places along the line that we could see derailment devices,” Spanberger said.

The five rail cars that derailed may not have contained hazardous material, but the other eight carried molten sulfur, a flammable substance that could release toxic gases.

The proximity of hazardous materials stored in the city has been an ongoing issue for residents.

“As long as they stay in the container, we’re good,” Fire Chief Mike Jones told WUSA9. “It’s when it gets out of the container that causes us problems.”

CSX promised to conduct more training and move the derail devices away from the nearby residential neighborhood. It also vows to reimburse property loss and pay the amount to rebuild the sound barrier.

When asked to respond to leaders’ demands, CSX sent this statement to WUSA9:

“Safety in our communities is the highest priority for CSX in delivering essential commerce for all aspects of our economy and the goods used by American families every day. The transportation of all of our freight, including hazardous materials, is done in accordance with strict federal regulations and it is important that we are able to operate safely in order to carry out our common carrier obligations. Freight rail remains the safest and most environmentally-friendly way to transport essential hazardous materials over land, with a 99.995% success rate.

CSX has proactively reached out to our neighbors and will continue to engage with community members and ensure impacted property owners are made whole. We are supporting Cobblestone’s efforts to expedite rebuilding the sound wall. A new derail device was installed further south to improve safety and mitigate any potential future impact to the sound wall. We are committed to learning from this incident and are actively taking steps to prevent a similar incident from occurring in Cobblestone and across our network.”

CSX has been asked to attend the next city council meeting on Aug. 27 to provide an update.