Amtrak officials were expecting normal service today after having to cut passenger-rail service yesterday between Richmond and Newport News because of a freight-train derailment in the capital city.
Amtrak spokeswoman Carina Romero said last night that the tracks were expected to be opened by midnight after yesterday's pre-dawn derailment of part of a CSX freight train carrying coal.
The derailment near Seventh and Hospital streets had blocked the line used by Amtrak to carry passengers between Richmond's Main Street Station and Newport News.
Amtrak has a pair of runs each morning and evening between the two cities, and the carrier plugged the gap yesterday by substituting buses for trains to take passengers between the Staples Mill Road station and Newport News.
No injuries were reported in yesterday's derailment, which occurred at 3:01 a.m. just east of Hospital Street, near Seventh Street. Twelve of the CSX train's 100 cars lost their load, overturned and were heavily damaged, and two other cars were partially off the track, Richmond fire Lt. Shawn L. Jones said.
Authorities were trying to determine what caused the derailment, which occurred on CSX tracks. A representative of the National Transportation Safety Board was on the scene.
CSX crews as well as Crane Masters, a private contractor, worked through the pre-dawn hours to clear the intersections of Seventh and Hospital streets and Fifth and Hospital streets.
Once CSX and Crane Masters got the intersections open for vehicle traffic, they turned their attention to getting the freight train's cars back on the tracks and cleaning up the spilled coal.
CSX officials did not respond to requests for information about where the train originated or its intended destination.
Contact Joe Macenka at (804) 649-6804 or jmacenka@timesdispatch.com.
Staff writer Reed Williams contributed to this report.
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