Richmond derailment cleanup keeps part of Dock Street and Capital Trail closed
Dock Street and a section of the Capital Trail remained closed in Richmond as of a July 6 city update, while CSX repaired track following a freight-train derailment and prepared to remove three cars from the canal.
The derailment occurred at approximately 4:04 p.m. on July 3 near the intersection of Dock and 20th streets. Three cars from an approximately 200-car freight train derailed into the canal, according to the City of Richmond.
The city reported no injuries and no hazardous-material issues in its update. The cause of the derailment remained under investigation.
Street and trail access remained restricted
Dock Street was closed between 18th and 22nd streets in the July 6 update. The Capital Trail was also closed from 18th Street to Pear Street, covering mile markers 51.2 through 51.7.
The listed closures affected access along the canal corridor while work continued. The city’s update did not provide a reopening date for either Dock Street or the affected section of the trail.
Rail traffic resumed on undamaged track
By July 6, CSX had removed the remaining derailed cars from the elevated track and was repairing the damaged track, the city said. Passenger and freight trains had resumed using the undamaged track.
That rail-service resumption did not mean all cleanup work was complete. The three cars that entered the canal still had to be addressed, and the city said CSX was preparing for that next phase of work.
CSX did not expect work on the submerged cars to begin before July 7. The city said the work was expected to last at least through that weekend. That was a projected timetable, not a confirmed completion date.
What is known and what remains unresolved
The city’s July 6 notice established the location of the derailment, the number of cars involved, the closure boundaries and the status of track repairs. It also reported that no injuries or hazardous-material issues had been identified in the update.
However, the update did not identify a cause, and it did not establish when the submerged cars would be removed, when the street and trail would reopen, or when the investigation would be completed. The city said the cause remained under investigation as cleanup planning continued.
For people traveling through the area, the July 6 closure notice remained the city’s stated guidance: Dock Street was closed from 18th to 22nd streets, and the Capital Trail was closed from 18th Street to Pear Street, between mile markers 51.2 and 51.7.
Sources
- Richmond derailment and closure updates, City of Richmond