Decision to evacuate a dozen homes and several proximate businesses was necessitated by the presence of hazardous materials in 15 to 20 cars onboard the train.
Just hours before the CEO of Norfolk Southern testified this week before Congress about his railway's apparent difficulty staying on the tracks, another one of its trains derailed in Alabama.
The incident occurred at around 1:45 a.m. CST and involved approximately 31 Union Pacific train cars carrying coal, which were scattered across the tracks.
