Train derails in Chesapeake; no injuries reported
A freight train hauling grain derailed Monday afternoon in Chesapeake, damaging several utility poles and detouring traffic, fire officials said.
Crews from the Chesapeake Fire Department responded to the train derailment around 4:05 p.m. in the area of Priority Lane and Truxton Street in the South Norfolk area of Chesapeake. The emergency call was made by a citizen who saw the incident, said Captain Steven Bradley, spokesperson for the fire department.
When firefighters arrived on scene, six freight cars had jumped the track. When the cars derailed, Bradley said, they damaged several utility poles nearby.
The cars were all loaded with grain. No hazardous materials were released and no one was injured in the incident.
The train was operating on the Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line at the time of the derailment. The belt line is a terminal switching company that owns 36 miles of track, and links commerce around the deep water port from Sewell’s Point to Portsmouth Marine Terminal and includes the southern branch of the Elizabeth River.
Representatives from Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line could not immediately be reached.
Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com
