A train has derailed in downtown Roanoke under 5th Street bridge.
According to Roanoke City dispatchers, a call was made to Roanoke City Police about the derailment at 4:39 a.m. Norfolk Southern is on the scene.
Jeff DeGraff, a spokesperson with Norfolk Southern, said the derailment happened at approximately 3:30 Sunday morning. “While moving sets of cars in and out of our rail yard, 18 rail cars derailed near the 5th Street bridge. There were no reports of injuries or releases from the cars. Seven cars derailed upright, while the other 11 were stacked up,” DeGraff said.
Crews are on scene to begin the assessment and recovery. Norfolk Southern is able to continue train traffic through the area on a parallel 2nd main track.
A city engineer was called in to inspect the 5th Street bridge. The bridge is closed to traffic while an assessment is being made. According to a tweet from the Roanoke City Police Department, the bridge will be closed for the “foreseeable future.”
No injuries have been reported.
10 News is working to gather more information and has a news crew on scene.
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