The Springfield Police Division was notified after 1 a.m. of a 10-car derailment from a train traveling on the Indiana & Ohio Railway line, about 50 yards west of North Bechtle Avenue, near Perry Street and Buck Creek.
“There are not any injuries. There are no hazardous material leaks of any kind,” said Springfield Police Captain Jeff Williams.
Of the 10 cars that derailed, only two of them were tanker cars, but those two cars were carrying hazardous materials, according to law enforcement.
“There were some tanker cars involved but none are leaking, none appear to be damaged to cause any threat or worry to anybody in the area,” Williams said. “Most of those are still upright. No damage to the tank, no leaks, no threat of leaks, nothing in the waterway.”
Indiana & Ohio Railway spokesman Tom Ciuba said just after noon Friday that the two hazmat cars involved in the derailment — carrying sulfuric acid — had been brought back upright.
“The fire department has tested them and confirmed no issues or leaks,” Ciuba said.
Traffic on North Bechtle Avenue coming south was being rerouted at Commerce Road, and traffic coming north was being rerouted at the entrance and exits of Snyder Park.
Clark County Emergency Management Agency Director Michelle Clements-Pitstick said the road could be closed through the weekend for railroad track repairs.
She said the railroad tracks sustained damage, and the area where cars derailed likely will be replaced, but that process is up to the rail company.
The work could take through the weekend, with workers having to bring the cars upright, put them back on the tracks and move them out of the way, she said.
For anyone that needs access on foot, via sidewalk, Williams said they are going to try to maintain access, but the roadway will still be closed to any vehicle traffic.
As of 5:30 p.m. Friday, the road remained closed, with large trucks and Springfield Police cruisers blocking the area.
Clements-Pitstick said her agency was made aware of the derailment around 7:20 a.m. Friday, and the railway company had been assessing the scene for hours at that point. She said that it appears “the cars kind of accordioned together,” similar to last year’s derailment.
The rail company has been on site and cooperative with the EMA and first responders, Clements-Pitstick said.
Indiana & Ohio Railway is currently investigating the derailment.
“While our primary focus is to clear the scene as quickly and safely as possible to minimize any disruption to local community members, IORY is also committed to a thorough investigation of today’s incident,” Ciuba said. “We don’t want to speculate about the cause until the investigation is complete, which could take a few days.”
This is not the area’s largest recent train derailment. In March 2023, 28 cars containing non-hazardous materials in a 212-car train derailed in Springfield Twp., but there was no spill. No one was reported injured in that incident.
Clements-Pitstick said that incident and other trainings helped the county be prepared for Friday’s derailment.
“We just keep putting everything we learn into play,” she said.
Elsewhere in south and west Ohio, there was a minor derailment in Washington Court House on July 12 (also on an Indiana & Ohio line), and a derailment in Darke County in January.
Ciuba said nothing suggests the Washington Court House and Springfield derailments are related.
Staff photographer Bill Lackey contributed to this report.
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