Chief Michael Jones of the Fredericksburg Fire Department stood with Spanberger and described the derailment. “The cars were loaded down, and it was a low spot where the derailment was,” he said, pointing out the area. “It can be a problem,” he said, but our priority is to save lives.”
This train derailment on July 19, near the city’s downtown train station used by Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express (VRE), sent the locomotive into the sound wall, destroying a large section near one of the underused VRE parking lots.Â
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Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) will visit the site of a recent train derailment in Fredericksburg on August 14, 2024. The visit will occur from 8 to 9 a.m. at the VRE parking lot, specifically at the gravel lot behind VRE parking lots G & H. The entrance to the lot is located at the corner of Prince Edward and Frederick Street. Spanberger will then travel to the Railway Yard Gate at 1400 Railroad Avenue. Members of the Fredericksburg City Council are expected to attend.
A CSX train derailed on July 19, 2024, near Cobblestone Drive. Several rail cars derailed, damaging a garage adjacent to the Cobblestone Square apartment complex. No hazardous materials were involved, and no injuries were reported.
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Fredericksburg Free Press: On Wednesday, a representative from CSX fielded questions from Fredericksburg city leaders and residents about the five-car train derailment that pierced a sound wall near the Cobblestone Apartments on Saturday night. Now, City Manager Tim Baroody is seeking more answers.
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The train that derailed on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at Cobblestone Square, an apartment complex in Fredericksburg, had been experiencing mechanical issues, so the train was parked at the city’s Virginia Railway Express (commuter rail) station before moving to its final destination in Richmond. The two crew members on board did not secure the train cars properly, resulting in five cars derailing, said Randy Marcus, a CSX spokesman during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Marcus said the crew's whereabouts at the time of the derailing are not known, and the company plans to have them complete additional training and education programs. No one was injured in the derailment.
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Update July 23: City Council members will attend the CSX public statement on July 24. The event is at 3 p.m. in the gravel parking lot behind VRE Lots G and H. The entrance is at the corner of Prince Edward and Frederick Streets.
Mayor Kerry P. Devine addressed the recent train derailment behind Fredericksburg's Cobblestone Square apartment complex, expressing concern for the community's safety.
