For the second day in a row, CSX employees returned Tuesday to the sight where a train derailed in North Jacksonville over the weekend. Crews worked to remove two tanks that derailed into the water.
A CSX train derailed on the Northside Sunday after 10 p.m., according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
That night, JFRD's Hazmat team arrived at the scene on North Main Street and Busch Drive shortly after 11:30 p.m.
Eight cars in total derailed, including the two in the water.
During clean-up efforts, heavy-duty cranes were used and boats launched into Cabin Creek.
CSX employees emptied one of the tanks holding roughly 30,000 gallons of ethanol. First Coast News learned that was moved off-site and out of the water.
While the delay is expected to continue, passenger rail lines are not affected by the recovery efforts as the line is for freight only.
Some of the cars were moved down the line in the early afternoon, but it’s unclear if the track will reopen while cleanup in the water continues.
JFRD was also on scene to monitor any leaks, but a CSX spokesperson tells First Coast News “No leaks or spills have been detected. The safety of our employees, the community and local environment are our top priorities through this process."
CSX has been scrutinized for safety in the past. Last July, CSX was part of a hearing with the National Transportation Safety Board after a February crash in South Carolina left two dead including Michael Cella from Orange Park. One-hundred-and-sixteen people were also injured.
Federal investigators said a train track switch was in the wrong position leading an Amtrak train to change course and collide with a parked CSX train. CSX owned and controlled the track.
The acting director of the Office of Safety Recommendations for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says despite the government shutdown, NTSB would not have sent an investigator here because there were no fatalities or injuries, as well as no reported public evacuations.
CSX removed the last tanker Tuesday evening and the southbound lanes of US-17/N. Main St. are expected to open overnight.