A CSX freight train carrying hazardous materials went off the rails along a busy route in Northeast Washington, D.C. early Sunday morning, spilling sodium hydroxide and forcing the suspension of service on the Metro’s Red Line.
A CSX freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed along a busy rail route in Northeast Washington, D.C. early Sunday morning, according to multiple media reports.
Fifteen of the train’s 175 rail cars went off the rails, spilling sodium hydroxide and disrupting travel, but no injuries or evacuations have been reported. Sodium hydroxide, also known “lye” or “caustic soda,” can cause irritation of the eyes, skin and mucous membranes; pneumonitis; eye or skin burns; and temporary loss of hair, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
The derailment, which took place near the D.C. Metro’s Rhode Island Avenue station, caused officials to close the station and suspend service on the Red Line between its NoMa-Gallaudet and Brookland stations.
CSX Corp. said the incident took place at around 6:40 a.m. as the train was en route from Cumberland, Md. To Hamlet, N.C. The train had 81 empty cars in addition to 91 cars carrying mixed cargoes.
The Jacksonville, Fla.-based Class I railway described sodium hydroxide as a chemical component similar to bleach or Drano that is used to produce various household products, including paper, soap and detergents.
Spokeswoman Melanie Cost said the company did not have a timeline on the cleanup or restoration of the tracks.
“First let me apologize to the community for the inconvenience and the alarm that the derailment caused this morning,” she said. “Every decision that we’re making is focused on the safety of the responders and the community.”
Federal Railroad Administration first responders and investigators arrived at the scene on Sunday night, but FRA investigations into the cause of the wreck could take up to a year to carry out. FRA inspectors also found leaks in a derailed ethanol car and a tank car carrying nonhazardous calcium chloride solution.
CSX train derails in Washington, D.C.
