Commuters in Roanoke, Texas faced unexpected disruptions after a train derailed early Tuesday morning, causing significant traffic delays and road closures. The incident occurred near Highway 377 where three coal cars and one locomotive went off the tracks with no injuries reported, according to FOX 4 News.
Travel plans were upended as southbound sections of Hwy. 377 were shut down and railroad crossings between Byron Nelson Boulevard and Henrietta Creek Road were closed. Railroad crews managed to move the train enabling some pathways to reopen, yet the situation remained an inconvenience, and cleanup efforts are still underway complicating travel for many. Roanoke Fire Department's fire marshal, Doug Parks, said, "With it being cold, our biggest concern is any distal fuel leaking from the locomotive, which it's not. We've already uncoupled the train, and they've moved it down to open up the crossings. So that's done. Now it's just getting this cleaned up right here at the site where the derailment occurred. That's the biggest thing, and they have crews on site doing that", per FOX 4 News.
The derailment also forced closures at additional crossings including Denton Drive, Benson Lane, and Henrietta Creek Road. However, they reported that Highways 114 and 170 were grade-separated from the railroad tracks, which allowed them to remain open amid the chaos, according to Audacy.
The Roanoke Police Department issued a statement advising residents to expect delays or to seek alternative routes around the affected areas, and cleanup was expected to take several hours. This added to the strain on Monday's commute as work on site persisted but the end to the congestion was in sight as crews continued their work into the afternoon. No further details regarding the cause of the derailment have been released thus far, as the investigation continues into what led to this early morning misadventure on the tracks.
