Train Slams Into Marta Bus In Decatur

Nobody was injured early Wednesday morning when a CSX train collided with a Marta bus that apparently stalled on the McDonough Street grade crossing in Decatur.

Decatur Police Capt. Scott Richards said the bus was heading south on McDonough Street toward Agnes Scott College and stalled on the track about 6:30 a.m.

The driver and an unknown number of passengers got off before the train slammed into the side of the bus, he said.

The area around Decatur High was going to be closed to traffic for several hours, so authorties recommended drivers, cyclists and pedestrians seek alternative routes.

Decatur High altered the exam schedule because students were expected to be late, according to an email sent to parents.

At 8:30 a.m., the train remained stopped and the bus lay beside the tracks on the Decatur High side. The bus was pushed into a crossing signal that toppled to the ground.

Two other rail crossings in Decatur were closed Wednesday because of the wreck: Candler Street (near the Dairy Queen) and Atlanta Avenue (across from Thinking Man Tavern.)

This is the second wreck at the McDonough Street crossing in 15 months. In February 2012, a train struck a car there. Nobody was badly injured.

Previous Patch stories about auto-train collisions:

Train hits car in February 2012.

Patch Poll: What's the worst train crossing in Decatur?