More Wednesday morning rail news:
Rail service continues to dig out from Northeast storm
Rail systems continue to recover from Monday’s major snowstorm in the Northeast. Amtrak will continue modified Acela, Northeast Regional, and Keystone Service today on the Northeast Corridor;. see Amtrak.com, the Amtrak app, and the Amtrak Alerts and NEC Alerts Twitter feeds for more information. Most NJ Transit commuter rail lines are operating on a Level 1 Severe Weather Schedule; the Atlantic City Rail Line, light rail, and bus routes are on normal schedules. Details are available here. And most Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road service is operating normally, but there are exceptions. Check the MTA website for more information.
NS receives notice of environmental violation because of derailment
Virginia environmental officials have issued a notice of violation to Norfolk Southern as a result of an October derailment, the Roanoke Times reports. The Oct. 30, 2020, derailment of 26 hopper cars sent 12 cars into the Roanoke River in western Roanoke County, leading to the notice from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality that it had “reason to believe” the railroad may have violated water protection regulations. The notice begins a process that could result in fines for Norfolk Southern. The incident is still under investigation by the Federal Railroad Administration.
Florida firefighter suffers broken leg when hit by train
A Florida volunteer firefighter was reported to be “responsive and talking” after being hit by a CSX Transportation train while fighting a brush fire on Tuesday. WFLA-TV reports the incident occurred in Ft. Meade, Fla., where Polk County firefighters were fighting a 3- to 4-acre wildfire that was threatening buildings. The firefighter was apparently trying to close the door of a fire truck near the path of the train when the accident occurred; he was reported to have suffered a broken leg. The Polk County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident.
