Train derails between Fort Smith and Van Buren; diesel fuel spills into river

A derailed train is seen Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in the middle of the Arkansas River bridge between Sebastian and Crawford counties in Northwest Arkansas. Ron Sparks, railroad police chief for Arkansas and Missouri Railroad, said the first engine traveling southbound carrying three locomotives and 82 cars derailed around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. Though no injuries were reported and the derailment was deemed minor, it caused traffic delays for morning commuters on and around Arkansas 59. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
A derailed train is seen Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in the middle of the Arkansas River bridge between Sebastian and Crawford counties in Northwest Arkansas. Ron Sparks, railroad police chief for Arkansas and Missouri Railroad, said the first engine traveling southbound carrying three locomotives and 82 cars derailed around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. Though no injuries were reported and the derailment was deemed minor, it caused traffic delays for morning commuters on and around Arkansas 59. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)

VAN BUREN -- A train partially derailed on the Arkansas River bridge between Sebastian and Crawford counties Wednesday, causing traffic delays for morning commuters on and around Arkansas 59.

James Young, traffic signal technician for the city, said traffic began moving again about 10:45 a.m.

Ron Sparks, police chief for the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, said the southbound train derailed at 1:30 a.m. when the first engine came off the tracks. The train had 82 cars. Sparks said there was a small amount of diesel spilled into the river and the U.S. Coast Guard had to be called as a precaution to handle the spill.

Sparks said the rail had been cleared. No injuries were reported.

Federal Railroad Administration spokeswoman LaRaye Brown noted the agency was aware of the derailment and dispatched an inspector to the scene to initiate a preliminary investigation.

Brown said the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad is required to submit a report detailing its depiction of the events, which will be posted on the agency's website in about three months.


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