The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a report stating that a broken rail caused the 30-car derailment March 27 just east of USA Parkway.
The report states that the train, consisting of 159 loaded and 21 empty freight cars, was traveling eastbound at 43 mph when it struck the broken rail, damaging the rear locomotive and derailing the first 30 cars. According to the report, the train was traveling faster than the maximum authorized speed for that section of track.
The train included two cars containing hazardous materials, but they were not among the 30 that derailed. There were no injuries, and the report states the engineer and conductor had both been on duty for 1 hour and 55 minutes when the derailment occurred.
Total damage was estimated at $2,897,558.

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