CSX Freight Train Derails in Washington, D.C. -- Update

By Anna Louie Sussman 

WASHINGTON -- A CSX freight train derailed near a Washington, D.C., metro station on Sunday morning, causing one car to leak sodium hydroxide, the company said.

No injuries have been reported. CSX said it was working with Washington first responders to contain the leaked chemical, which is used to produce household products including soap and detergent.

CSX said that 14 railcars were derailed near 9th Street Northeast and Rhode Island Avenue Northeast, which is near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station. Photos from the Washington, D.C., Fire and Emergency Medical Services Twitter account, @dcfireems, show railcars splayed across the tracks. The Federal Railroad Administration had investigators en route to the scene, according to its Twitter account.

Sodium hydroxide is also known as "caustic soda" or "lye," according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The Institute's website notes it can cause skin burns and temporary loss of hair.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which runs the region's subway system, said the Rhode Island Avenue station was temporarily closed and that some subway travel on the Red Line was suspended.

WMATA, Washington, D.C., Fire and Emergency Medical Services, and Amtrak couldn't be reached for additional comment.

Write to Anna Louie Sussman at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 01, 2016 13:21 ET (17:21 GMT)

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