One of the two tracks taken out of service last week by a derailment of a CSX crude oil train in West Virginia reopened on Thursday.
The opening of the line near Mt. Carbon allowed a logjam of coal and other revenue trains to pass the derailment site for the first time since Feb. 16.
Environmental protection agencies and contractors continued to work at the site to restore the second mainline track.
Workers completed the excavation around the derailment site on late Wednesday and a temporary roadbed was installed overnight.
Investigators have collected dozens of soil samples over the past few days in order to ensure that all contaminated soil has been removed.
Twelve tank cars lying adjacent to the newly laid roadbed and have been positioned for removal by rail.
A total of 97,000 gallons of oily-water mixture from the containment trenches dug along the river embankment near the derailment site has been recovered.
The oily-water mixture has been transported to the nearby Handley Yard to await disposal.
Environmental crews and federal investigators expect to remain at the derailment site for several more days as they collect information as part of their investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
Detoured and curtailed train movements will likely return to their normal routing through West Virginia over the next couple of days.
The Feb. 16 derailment sent 28 cars off the rails and resulted in several large explosions and evacuation of nearby residents.
Tags: crude oil train derailments, Crude oil trains, CSX, CSX crude oil trains, CSX in West Virginia, CSX West Virginia derailment
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