Train strikes occupied vehicle in downtown Greensboro, one hospitalized

An occupied vehicle was struck by a train in downtown Greensboro just after 1 a.m. Sunday near 461 S. Elm St., sending one person to the hospital and closing South Elm Street in both directions for hours overnight.

Greensboro police said officers were dispatched around 1 a.m. on April 26 to the scene between McGee and Barnhardt streets. Police said the vehicle occupant was transported to a hospital, while Norfolk Southern and police reported no injuries to the train crew. Guilford County EMS said the person was treated and taken to the hospital with minor injuries after being “clipped” by the train.

The closure was announced at 1:44 a.m., and the roadway reopened about two hours later, but the hit still cut into one of downtown Greensboro’s most active corridors. South Elm Street carries restaurants, bars, shops and event traffic through the city’s core, so even a short rail crash can ripple into early-morning travel, emergency access and downtown staffing. Police said juveniles were involved, but they did not immediately explain what led to the collision or whether the car was stopped on the tracks, disabled or otherwise in the train’s path.

The railroad crossing at South Elm Street had already been the subject of recent work. On Feb. 19, the City of Greensboro said Norfolk Southern would close part of South Elm Street at the crossing beginning Feb. 23 to upgrade the tracks, with the project projected to finish by March 6. During that work, the crossing was closed to all through traffic, including pedestrians, underscoring how sensitive the crossing is to both rail construction and vehicle traffic.

South Elm Street is one of Greensboro’s oldest and most recognizable streets, with roots dating to 1808, the same year the city was founded. Local reporting says its proximity to railroad tracks helped turn it into a major commercial corridor in the 19th century. The street later became part of the city’s civil rights history as the site of the Feb. 1, 1960, Woolworth lunch-counter sit-ins, and the former store at 134 S. Elm St. now houses the International Civil Rights Center & Museum. The Southern Railway Passenger Depot at 400 South Elm Street, built in 1899, remains another reminder of how deeply rail lines have shaped this stretch of downtown. Police said the investigation is ongoing.