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By MACKENZEE SIMMS | Staff Writer

CALERA – At the intersection between Highway 31 and Highway 25, a single unattached railroad car blocked both northbound lanes of Highway 31 on Monday, April 8.

The Calera Police Department first got the call that the railroad car was blocking the intersection at 9:43 a.m. According to Chief of Police David Hyche, the railroad car did not detach from a passing train, but rather rolled down an old, closed rail line.

“It appears that one train car got away,” Hyche said. “It actually broke through the barrier and went on to Highway 31, damaged the road and broke those tracks.”

Members of the Alabama Department of Transportation and troopers from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Highway Patrol Division were on scene to assist with traffic control and to monitor the situation.

While crews worked to clear the railcar, an 18-wheeler got stuck mid-turn and blocked one of the southbound lanes of Highway 31. According to Hyche, this truck was towed courtesy of a local towing company, Terry’s Towing.

Just before 1 p.m., the Calera Police Department released an official announcement that the railroad car had been moved off of the tracks and that Highway 31 was once again open for use.