After a third train derailment in Ocala in the past six months, multiple readers wrote in to share their opinions on the topic. These are two of those letters:
“The city has a problem with CSX: They don’t take care of the tracks and we don’t need them going by businesses and homes in Ocala which could spill dangerous chemicals and keep people out of their homes for weeks on end. I personally don’t like them going by my neighborhood because they cause sink holes and damaging foundations in this area, and whoever was the rocket scientist who cleared them to run extra heavy trains needs mental help.” – Ronald Guillory, Ocala
“Thanks for posting my feedback the other day, I spelled Baron incorrectly. I noticed the story showed an image of the CSXT 871 a 4400 horsepower GE locomotive, the head quarters for CSX Transportation is on the river in downtown Jacksonville and likely to be underwater by the year 2040. CSX has had a rough year with some very expensive derailments, news sources are reporting they plan to lay off 166 management employees and furlough many conductors. You may not have to worry about the continued operation of railroads in Florida if the tracks are underwater in the coming decade.” – Valentine Hemmer, Belvidere