The Department of Public Works (DPW) sent its hazardous materials specialist to the Command Center to coordinate with Incident Command. The DPW was responsible for controlling traffic in the downtown area and coordinating with the Maryland Transportation Authority and the State’s Department of Transportation. All traffic coming from the downtown area was re-routed away from potentially dangerous areas, and traffic on highways inbound to the city was stopped and rerouted. The changes in traffic routes caused rush hour gridlocks and affected even the light rail transportation in the city.
While rush hour traffic was disrupted because of the fire, the Camden Line service was curtailed where bus service was substituted. Baltimore's light-rail line, which runs adjacent to the CSX line at both ends of the affected tunnel and operates on Howard Street directly above the tunnel, had to be suspended. Amtrak Northeast Corridor and MARC Penn Line services were not affected, although Baltimore's Penn Station is only about three blocks from the east portal of the CSX tunnel.
Two days into the incident, a domestic and international mailing company reported on the shipping delays caused by the CSX train derailment, indicating that dozens of trains were rerouted and some remained idle while the fire continued to burn inside the tunnel. Rail traffic headed south from the Port of Baltimore was detoured for hundreds of miles, and officials announced that rail shipments might be delayed as long as two weeks.
The DPW estimated that approximately 60 million gallons of water from the City’s water supply were used to assist fire suppression activities. The water supply to the Shock Trauma Hospital had to be maintained and the Water Department had to re-route several pipe channels to ensure water service to the hospital and other businesses.
By 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 22, the remaining train cars were being removed; initial repairs to the broken water main and to a collapsed storm drain had begun. To access the affected water main and storm drain, a portion of the light rail line's track had to be cut. The necessary repair work caused further delays in the resumption of light rail service along Howard Street above the tunnel.
By Monday, July 23, the final car had been removed from the tunnel. Shortly thereafter, work began to assess the structural integrity of the tunnel and to continue repairing both the broken water main and the collapsed storm drain. Traffic remained grid-locked, however, because of the inability to cross Howard Street along the mile-long north-south corridor.
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