Seminole Gulf Railway Identifies Track Issue as Cause of Derailment

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
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Seminole Gulf Railway

After six cars completely derailed from a Seminole Gulf Railway train in Bradenton on Feb. 28, a derailed Seminole Gulf Railway train car carrying 30,000 gallons of liquid propane gas in Manatee County is back on the track.

Five of the six cars that derailed were carrying sheetrock and one was carrying liquid propane, a local news report said. 

Manatee County Fire and Rescue cleared the surrounding area on March 2, including closing a nearby roadway, while crews worked to upright the train car. Crews remained on the scene to monitor the process both during and after it was completed.

“It was a very well-planned event and all of the players worked in concert with each other and we were able to accomplish the task without any injury or harm to the environment,” Manatee Fire and Rescue Chief Robert Bounds said.

The vice president of Seminole Gulf Railway said the cause of the derailment was “a track-related matter.” 

“There was something that was going on with the track that caused the back wheels to come off of one of the cars and that then started a chain reaction,” said Vice President Robert Fay.

While acknowledging the track issues, Fay stated that Seminole Gulf Railways are safe and routinely inspected, a local news report said.

According to Fay, the specifics of what caused the derailment are still unknown. Seminole Gulf Railway and the Federal Railroad Administration are both investigating the incident.

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