WARE COUNTY, Ga. – Crews continued clean-up efforts after 19 rail cars and one locomotive derailed in Ware County, Georgia Thursday morning, according to CSX Transportation. It is expected to be a long cleanup process.
The derailment happened around 2:30 a.m. on Jamestown Road near the Jamestown Baptist Church. No injuries or hazardous leaks were initially reported.
The train was heading to Chicago from Waycross, officials told News4JAX.
Crews using heavy equipment were spotted moving the damaged rail cars to an empty lot. This undamaged portion of the train was disconnected and sent back to the railyard in Waycross.
CSX is investigating the cause of the derailment.
#Look: Crews are starting to move the railcars. @wjxt4 pic.twitter.com/DPMyJLLiZT
— Aaron Farrar (@aaronfarrarNews) June 30, 2022
Ruby Pierce, a Waycross resident, said he heard the derailment from a mile away.
“I thought it was tractor-trailer trucks or something that had a wreck right there at the road, but I did not even realize it was a train,” Pierce said.
Officials said Jamestown Road from Devandrene Avenue to US1 is presently closed until further notice.
Waycross, Georgia is home to one of CSX’s largest railyards. In addition to its physical track structure, CSX operates numerous yards and terminals.
According to data from the Federal Railroad Administration, since 1986, CSX has reported a total of 128 derailments in Ware County. None of these derailments have resulted in any injuries or deaths. In 2020, there were 10 derailments in the county. In 2021, there were six.
.@CSX workers just disconnected the part of the train that was not affected and sent the cars in the other direction on the tracks. Crews are assessing the damaged railcars and locomotive. Additional crews are nearby to start the process of getting the cars off the track. @wjxt4 pic.twitter.com/JJXMjlrFxx
— Aaron Farrar (@aaronfarrarNews) June 30, 2022