Nine train cars derailed at Norfolk Southern’s rail yard in Lamberts Point Wednesday morning, the company confirmed.
No one was injured in the incident, and the cars were empty at the time, according Heather Garcia, a spokesperson for Norfolk Southern. No hazardous materials were involved.
It’s unclear how the derailment occurred or how severe it was. Garcia said “derailments” can be as minor as a single train wheel leaving the track. She also noted that the average speed of a train within a rail yard is about 5 mph.
The derailment damaged a Norfolk Southern power pole within the rail yard and briefly knocked out power for 2,254 Dominion Energy customers in the area, according to Tim Eberly, a spokesperson for Dominion. Norfolk Southern repaired the pole with Dominion’s assistance.
“As soon as the power went out we were able to reroute power from another source, so basically the lights blinked … momentarily and then power was back on,” Eberly said.
Restoring power to Norfolk Southern itself took about an hour and 18 minutes, according to Eberly.
Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com
