Norton to Visit Site of CSX Train Derailment, Today at 2:00 p.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today at 2:00 p.m. will visit the site where a CSX freight train carrying hazardous materials (haz mat) derailed yesterday, and will meet with CSX safety and other officials tomorrow. Norton is concerned about possible chemical spillage into the Rhode Island Ave. NE neighborhood, and particularly wants to know whether certain haz mat shipments will be prohibited through the CSX Virginia Ave tunnel, which is currently under construction. Norton said that less than a half-mile north of yesterday’s derailment, CSX tracks are very close to residences, and within a few feet of Metrorail.

Since 2004, CSX says it has not transported certain categories of hazardous materials, including chlorine, ammonia and certain kinds of explosives through D.C. In 2007, Norton got an amendment included in the House-passed Rail and Public Transportation Security Act to require that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reroute very toxic substances in highly populated jurisdictions, such as the National Capital Region.