SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — No one was injured Monday afternoon after several train cars derailed in the middle of a residential area of Suffolk.
The derailment happened in the Suffolk Meadows neighborhood, in the area of Shoulders Hill Road and Baron Boulevard, according to Diana Klink with the City of Suffolk.
Footage from Chopper 10 shows the eight cars and one engine that came off the tracks, with some cars extending into nearby backyards. Klink said the train is owned by Commonwealth Railway, Inc. The short rail runs from Suffolk to the West Norfolk area of Portsmouth.
Commonwealth said the train was coming from the Virginia International Gateway port and mainly consisted of empty cars. Less than 100 freight containers were aboard.
Klink said that no hazardous materials were on the train and no evacuations were required.
The call for the derailment came in at 4:11 p.m.
“Noise got louder and louder,” Eric Jones said. “Then it was real, like a boom! It sounded like a wreck.”
Jones was working in his backyard, which backs right up to the railroad right of way, when the train derailed. While his fence remained untouched, on the other side of the tracks Alicia Payne lost significant portions of her fence and tree line.
“When one of my neighbors was like ‘the train derailed.’ And I’m like ‘What are you talking about?” I walk around the corner and i’m like … words you can’t print,” Payne said.
The cause of the derailment has not been determined at this time.
Commonwealth says their derailment crew inspected the scene on Tuesday morning, and track repairs are scheduled for Wednesday, May 9. Commonwealth says the repairs could be completed that day.
Check back for updates.
