No injuries reported
By Heather Michon
Correspondent
A coal train derailed in southeastern Fluvanna County at around 5 a.m. on Tuesday (Jan. 7).
The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office and Fluvanna Volunteer Fire Department units from Palmyra and Fork Union were called to the scene at 4:53 a.m. No injuries were reported, “and at this time, no immediate environmental concerns have been found,” said Capt. Aaron Hurd of the sheriff’s office.
The train, carrying at least 25 coal cars, was heading eastbound on the Rivanna Subdivision, the section of CSX track that parallels the James River from Scottsville to Columbia. The derailment occurred near Stearns, between Bremo and Columbia.
A preliminary report by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) stated, “25 cars were mangled up and they are having to dump the coal. HEPACO on scene installing silt fence to protect nearby stream.”
HEPACO is an environmental clean-up company with an office in Richmond.
“All damaged cars have been moved to a nearby staging area for wrecking and train operations have resumed,” said CSX spokesperson Sheriee Bowan on Thursday.
CSX has not disclosed the amount of coal dumped or whether mitigation efforts are ongoing. The cause of the derailment is unknown.
