“I hear the train a’comin,” Johnny Cash famously sang.

The song of the train moving out of downtown Brookhaven Tuesday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. was a welcome sound for people who wanted to cross the tracks. It was a stark contrast to the sounds some pedestrians said they heard seven hours earlier when rocks flew and bits of iron rails snapped off in the Monticello Street crossing.

The train had to come to a dead stop and remained still as Canadian National crews worked to assess and repair the damage to the tracks.

The miles-long trail of boxcars was separated at the Minnesota Street crossing to allow traffic to cut through about 9:30 a.m.
East-west traffic crossing the rails otherwise was relegated to Industrial Park Road, Dale Trail and Hwy. 84.

After a few hours of cutting, positioning and welding, a freight engine pushed the train out of Brookhaven along its southbound path. All intersections except one are now open for travel.

The crossing at Monticello Street remains closed. CN crews and law enforcement caution motorists and pedestrians not to go around the barricades and attempt to cross the tracks. Some debris and damaged substructure remained after the Tuesday repairs. CN anticipated its crews would be able to complete repairs Wednesday.