MCGEHEE, Ark. – A train carrying some farm-related materials derailed in McGehee, after officials said the heat may have caused the tracks to buckle.
A post from McGehee city officials said that the train derailment happened at the crossing of Highway 4 and Crooked Bayou Road Thursday afternoon.
Police in McGehee said the derailment may have been caused by the track buckling due to heat.
Danny Robins with Arkansas Short Line says the train is owned by North Louisiana & Arkansas Railroad. Arkansas Short Line is the parent company of NLA.
NLA operates over 62 miles of line from McGehee, AR to Lake Providence, LA. Robins says they hope to have the railroad open by Friday evening.
Until then, many drivers have been taking detours.
“It was shocking. I thought the detour would be all the way back at the beginning of the road so now I have to back up and turn around,” Jose Alford said.
Officials say trains run seasonally on the NLA Railroad carrying things like farm loads. They said this time of year a train passes through this area about twice a week.
For some drivers, the detour was easy to make, but for Landon Thomas who is a truck driver he says he has to be on a timed schedule and it sets him behind.
Both drivers said they hope everything will be fixed soon.
Officials say once the train is removed, certain parts of the track will need to be fixed.
Police said there were no injuries during the derailment.
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