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Niles train traffic back on track after derailment
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Jason Crisp of Niles stands near the edge of the former 5th Street bridge over the CSX train tracks on the south side of Niles. The bridge, which carried cars over the tracks, was removed Saturday after it was damaged by a train that derailed.
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The crash of up to 73 train cars that derailed from CSX tracks in Niles on Saturday startled nearby residents. It was the second CSX derailment in the area this year.
Razing of 5th Street bridge detours motorists
By Ed Runyan
NILES
CSX Corp. on Monday restored traffic to both train tracks passing through the south end of the city after Saturday’s derailment.
A CSX train was traveling through Niles about 2:45 p.m. Saturday when 15 of the 50 cars derailed. No injuries were reported, and no evacuation was necessary.
Officials say they don’t know yet what caused the derailment.
Meanwhile, CSX pulled down the 5th Street bridge, which was damaged in the derailment, on Saturday evening.
The bridge is owned by CSX, so it will be up to the company to decide whether to replace the structure, said Neil Buccino, Niles’ service director.
Carla Groleau, a CSX spokesperson, said it’s not clear when or if the bridge will be restored. “We will work with the city on it,” she said.
The bridge was about 100 years old, and CSX had talked to Niles officials earlier about replacing it, Buccino said. The bridge was about 150 feet long and made out of steel and wood.
The bridge carried vehicle traffic from Niles south over the train tracks to connect with Salt Springs Road.
Jason Crisp, a resident of 3rd Street, which is near the bridge, said the bridge was a common shortcut for employees of the General Motors plant in Lordstown who lived in Niles.
It also was a fun bridge to drive on because of the sound of the wooden planks, Crisp said.
“My kids would make me take this route. You could hear every board,” he said.
The bridge got quieter when CSX replaced the planks several years ago, but Crisp said the people living nearby sometimes found the noise bothersome.
Kevin Young, who lives on Salt Springs Road about a quarter-mile west of the 5th Street bridge, said having the bridge closed will add time to his travel between home and Niles.
“I use that bridge eight times a day,” Young said. He will have to travel farther east on Salt Springs to take state Route 46 into Niles, Young said.
Tammi White, who also lives on Salt Springs Road, said the sound the train made when it derailed was loud.
“It sounded like a fighter jet just exploded,” she said. “I’ve been living here my whole life. The train whistles don’t bother me. This was no train whistle.”