Trains are back in service after a freight derailment in Mt. Juliet

The WeGo Star train is back up and running after a cargo train derailed in Mt. Juliet on Monday.

Eleven parked cars went off the tracks next to an elementary school. No one was injured, but students and nearby residents briefly sheltered in place, while officials checked to see if any dangerous chemicals had spilled.

Captain Tyler Chandler from Mt. Juliet said in a Facebook livestream that it was the best possible scenario for a train derailment.

“All good news. Please, if you’re sitting at home, I hope you can bring your stress level down a lot lower, because we’re going to work through this,” he told viewers tuning in. “We believe the danger level is very low. We’re going to still do our assessments just to be sure that everything’s OK before we can release this emergency scene.”

Wilson County Schools decided to evacuate the building as a precaution. Not long after, emergency officials declared the scene safe.

R.J. Corman Railroad Group, which operates the train, says the cause is still under investigation. But a spokesperson says he thinks a car carrying rocks got unbalanced while it was being unloaded. When it fell, he says, that sent the others toppling, too.

Workers have cleared the scene and officials say there is no health risk in the area. WeGo says its trains will run on a normal schedule starting Tuesday afternoon.