SANDSTONE, W.Va. — CSX Transportation has completed removal of the 22 empty coal hoppers that derailed Wednesday when its train hit a rock slide in the New River Gorge, the railroad reports, as it continues efforts to reopen its rail line.
The derailment occurred at 4:51 a.m. Wednesday when the train hit several large boulders, injuring the three crew members [see “CS empty coal train hits rock slide …,” Trains News Wire, March 8, 2023].
The large boulders that caused the derailment have also been cleared from the rail line. Removal of the train’s four locomotives should be complete today, the railroad says; additional environmental measures have been deployed to contain fuel that may leak as the final locomotive is removed. Once the locomotives are removed, CSX says it will work with the National Park Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to excavate and remove and rock or soil contaminated by the fuel.
Two of the train’s three crew members remain hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries; the railroad says it is providing support to the employees and their families.
CSX says is deploying drones to survey areas with similar topography “in an effort to identify and mitigate where possible the risk of rockslides. This proactive effort will supplement the measures we already have in place, such as fencing and detectors, in areas that are prone to slides.”
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