Railroad company CSX has given its final update regarding cleanup at the freight train derailment site in Northeast: it’s all clear.
Last night, crews completed restoration of the damaged tracks and sent the 11 remaining cars are off for inspection, according to a release from the company. The first CSX freight train to service the area since the crash rolled through around 9:30 p.m. last night.
The incident involving the derailment of 16 freight train cars—some spilling sodium hydroxide, ethanol, and calcium chloride—happened near 9th Street and Rhode Island Avenue NE around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday. D.C. Police restricted traffic in the surrounding area, Metro suspended a portion of service on the Red Line, and DDOT closed part of the Metropolitan Branch trail. Now all of those areas are back to normal.
D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is set to meet with Federal Railroad Administration officials today, following a visit to the site on Monday. “Unfortunately, Sunday’s CSX derailment is emblematic of the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, and we can expect to see more incidents unless we get serious about having a 21st century transportation infrastructure,” Norton said in a release. “This derailment is a wakeup call that should teach us about preventing future hazmat rail car derailments.”