WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Excavators, bulldozers, front loaders and other heavy machinery have been up and down the railroad in Warren at the derailment site. Warren fire commissioner Skip McAdams said Canadian National has made “significant progress,” including removing the 13 damaged rail cars.
Some residents said they haven't felt an impact with the road closures, but that could all change.
The derailment happened as Warren is preparing for a big influx of traffic on Saturday. Former President Donald Trump will be in town for a rally at Macomb County Community College. That's about 2 miles east of the train derailment.
Warren Mayor Jim Fouts told 7 Action News the city is expecting high traffic volumes.
“Saturday in Warren should be a great challenge if everything isn’t put back together as quick as possible," he said.
People driving through Warren are being urged to avoid Stephens Road from Hoover to Schoener roads and 9 Mile Road from Groesbeck Highway to Hoover Road.
The cause of that derailment is still under investigation. 7 Action News did some digging and found out incidents like this happen more often than you might think.
Last year alone, there were 1,092 train derailments across the country. Thankfully, injuries are rare.
Crews are expected to have everything back to normal in Warren by Sunday. So far, the fire commissioner said two bows in the rail line have been repaired and the other 148 cars were removed from the area.
The mayor explained, “If you were going to have to have an accident of this nature, it was best it was in an industrial area, not at a major intersection and not during rush hour traffic.”
