As a result of a CSX train derailment Tuesday in Todd County, officials have closed U.S. 41 between Pembroke and Trenton.
The derailment occurred shortly before 7 a.m. near Trenton, according to Christian County Emergency Management.
“This is expected to be a long-term closure as cleanup continues,” the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said in a press release.
At mid-morning, officials estimated the road closure would last 24 to 48 hours.
Motorists traveling south on U.S. 41 can detour onto Kentucky 115 at Pembroke and then take Interstate 24. Those traveling north can detour onto Clarksville Highway at Trenton and then access I-24.
The derailment involved 31 cars, CSX reported. How it occurred was not immediately clear.
“No injuries were reported, and a fire involving one rail car was quickly extinguished,” CSX said in a press release. “As a precaution, Todd County issued a half-mile shelter-in-place order around the impacted site, which has now been lifted.”
The cause of the derailment remained under investigation, according to CSX.
The company said CSX customers should expect shipment delays; however, an estimate of the delays was not provided.
Christian County Emergency Management and the Hopkinsville Fire Department “provided drones to assess, evaluate and monitor the derailment for Todd County and CSX officials,” the Christian County agency said in a Facebook post.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
