No injuries reported after coal train derails near St. Albans

By RealWV Staff,

ST. ALBANS, W.Va. – Hundreds of Amtrak’s Cardinal line passengers experienced major delays and travel interruptions on Sunday, after a CSX coal train derailed near St. Albans.

The incident was reported just after 11:30 p.m. Saturday. According to a social media post from the St. Albans Fire Department, emergency response crews were on the scene in the Hansford Street area at 12:33 a.m., and no injuries or danger to the public was reported at that time. CSX Police arrived sometime after 1 a.m. and assumed control, the post adds. The post further states that the train – which consisted of 220 cars – stretched from Spruce Street to the Kirk Field Coal River Spur, and its derailment caused significant traffic delays in the areas of both the Washington and Walnut Street crossings. 

Representatives with the St. Albans Police Department confirmed that a total of nine cars jumped the tracks, dumping nearly 1,000 tons of coal. Amtrak alerts advised that passengers leaving Chicago on Saturday would be provided busing on a “drop off only basis” between Huntington and Washington D.C. Additional trains were utilized for transportation to New York. 

On Monday, the St. Albans Police Department posted the following message on their Facebook page: “Following the train derailment, CSX has crews working on the railroad tracks, including the crossing at the Boone Street tunnel. They have asked us to make the public aware that there will be track repair equipment moving periodically through that intersection and it is not safe for pedestrian crossing. CSX appreciates everyone’s patience and is working to get the repairs done as soon as possible.”