Freight train derailed near Inverleigh

Scenes of wreckage near Inverleigh where a freight train derailed this morning. (AAP Image/James Ross)

A freight train has derailed at Inverleigh near Geelong this morning, leaving dozens of shipping containers piled up across the railway tracks after a night of heavy storms in the area.

Wagons and containers remain heaped in a pile of wreckage where the tracks appear to have collapsed, with many of the containers lying in large pools of water.

The driver of the train was reportedly uninjured, and there were no passengers on board.

Emergency services were called to the scene between Inverleigh and Gheringhap around 6am after a night of wild weather and more than 550 requests for assistance to VICSES across the state.

The train came to a stop just before a level crossing, which was closed temporarily but has since been reopened.

While the cause of the incident is still unconfirmed, the damaged tracks appear to be submerged in floodwater.

The Bureau of Meteorology reported nearly 40mm of rain in the area between 10pm Sunday night and 5am Monday morning.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.