NEW BRITAIN -- An investigation is ongoing into what caused a train to derail in New Britain Tuesday afternoon.
According to the New Britain Police Department, a freight train derailed on Columbus Boulevard around 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The road is closed in the center of town. Some side streets may be impacted as well.
The Route 9 northbound Exit 26 off ramp is also closed, according to the state Department of Transportation.
It is a Pan Am Railways train, and will likely be in place for about 24 hours before authorities can remove it. The train was carrying construction debris, but there wren't any hazardous materials on board.
The train has 29 cars--10 were empty, 19 were filled--and in all nine derailed. Of the nine that derailed, seven were on their side; the other two remained upright, but were off the tracks. All nine had debris inside.
The train was headed to a processing facility in Deerfield, Massachusetts, to recycle the debris.
The acting police chief and Mayor Erin Stewart are on the scene assessing the situation. Pan Am will conduct its own investigation, but the Federal Railroad Administration will also send out a crew to look into the cause.
Cynthia Scarano, from Pan Am's media relations team, said, "We're in the process of transporting the equipment necessary to re-rail, unblock the crossing and move the cars." That equipment includes a crane, she told FOX 61.
"It will take up to 24 hours to get everything moving again," Scarano said, however, police say traffic is a priority and the local roads should reopen later Tuesday evening.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection did respond to the scene to assess the contents and what cargo got out, but it does not appear that there are any hazmat issues.
