GAINESVILLE, Va. – It’s happened again – a trailer that was stopped on train tracks at U.S. 29 in Gainesville was swiped by a train.
No one was injured, but the accident has forced the closure of a portion of the busy commuter route just south of Interstate 66 near the Virginia Gateway shopping center. Police said the closed portion of the roadway will remain that way for at least another two to three hours while an investigation takes place.
Police said drivers in the area will need to follow police direction to get around the road closure. Those who need to go to the area should find another route, police added.
This latest closure comes after a train collided with an SUV at the same location just before Christmas last year. No one was injured in that collision, but investigators said the SUV had come to a stop on the tracks in heavy traffic and could not clear the area as the train approached.
A project from the Virginia Department of Transportation is underway to build a grade-separated interchange that will allow drivers to pass over the train tracks. The project is expected to be completed in 2015.
