COLUMBIA, S.C. — A freight train derailment in downtown Columbia on Thursday night led to minor traffic delays early Friday morning.
The derailment happened along tracks near Catawba and Lincoln streets. Crews worked through the night to clear the area. Columbia Police said there were no reports of injuries.
"So, honestly I'm just first hearing about it just now and it's a little surprising there are a lot of train tracks all over campus," Matthew Scalise.
Scalise, a University of South Carolina student, said he was surprised by the train derailment near the university's Greek village on Thursday night. He said the number of trains in the area often interferes with his commute to class.
"And they make it hard to get all over the place because of how many tracks and how many trains run through here," he said.
It's something the City of Columbia is working to change to help traffic flow.
The city and the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) are working on the Assembly Street grade separation project, which will eliminate 15 railroad crossings in the downtown area. The project stated it would lower Assembly Street and lift rail tracks at Catawba and Whaley streets during the 2024 calendar year.
"Pretty concerned on how our tracks don't have bars that come down and whatnot," Jessica Skipper said. She's lived near Catawba Street for the past four years.
She said she wasn't awake when the train derailed on Thursday, but she often hears the trains rumble through the neighborhood.
"Mostly during the mornings, they come about three and six in the morning; other than that, they're super loud, and they shake our house," Skipper said.
The city is also looking into the sound level of train whistles. In September 2022, the Columbia City Council voted to move forward and establish 14 quiet zones in the city. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, locomotive horns may not be sounded in an area designated as a quiet zone.
Construction on this project was expected to start earlier this year with the installation of new signs.
The City of Columbia added the Quiet Zone project should start in early 2024.