Federal officials have decided not to investigate the December derailment of a holiday scenic rail excursion through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Warren Flatau, deputy director of public affairs of the Federal Railroad Administration, said the Dec. 21 derailment of Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s North Pole Adventure did not meet the agency’s criteria for a full federal investigation because it was “minor” in nature.
Three passenger railcars on the holiday excursion to the “North Pole” derailed in Peninsula around 8:45 p.m., leaving about 600 passengers and crew stranded.
There were no injuries in the mishap, but it took about five hours for buses to take the crew and passengers back to the rail station in Independence in Cuyahoga County where the excursion — the last of the railroad’s season — originated.
Cause of December derailment determined
Flatau said the preliminary probe into the mishap found the train was traveling no more than 2 mph when the railcars derailed while on its way back to the station in Independence. All the cars remained in an upright position.