Train Cars Derail Near Perryville

Several train cars were blown off track on Friday evening as high winds whipped through the mid-Atlantic. The tanker cars went off the rails into the Susquehanna River near Perryville.

Overnight when the CSX train cars derailed, wind gusts were above 50 mph. Windy conditions resulted in hours of closures on the Hatem Bridge, where trees fell, and the Tydings Bridge, where two tractor trailers overturned.

Amtrak suspended its northeast regional line, which travels over the nearby Susquehanna River Bridge, as the Nor'easter pummeled the East Coast; service there resumed on a modified schedule Saturday.

Around 8 p.m. on Friday, one CSX freight car with fertilizer residue and three empty train cars toppled from the railroad trestle near US 40 into the Susquehanna River, according to The Baltimore Sun, which reported that state officials spent 15 hours at the scene and determined there was no environmental impact as a result.

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Winds gusts were as high as 62 mph in Havre de Grace on Friday night, according to the National Weather Service.

Crews pulled the tankers from the water in the daylight on Saturday, which was also a blustery day. Gusts at the nearby Hatem Bridge were 49 mph as of 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, according to state transportation data, long after a wind advisory expired Saturday morning in the region.

Two train cars were removed from the water Saturday morning. State, local and federal authorities were working on removing the others in Cecil County, according to ABC 2 News, which reported a total of six train cars derailed as the freight train was en route to Richmond, Virginia; two of the derailed cars did not fall into the water.

By Sunday, the two cars that stayed above water had been removed and the track had been repaired, CSX said in a statement to The Baltimore Sun.

There were reportedly no injuries as a result of the derailment.

It was not the first time train activity in the area has gained attention recently. Last month a speeding train came uncoupled near the Susquehanna River Bridge. That was operated by Amtrak, while the freight cars that derailed this weekend were under CSX jurisdiction.

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Photos courtesy of the Maryland Transportation Authority.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect that the train cars derailed on a structure separate from the Susquehanna River Bridge.