Norfolk Southern freight prepare vehicles derail in Pennsylvania

A Norfolk Southern freight train derailed Saturday morning in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, spilling diesel and plastic pellets into the close by river, in line with native authorities.

No accidents have been reported upon a preliminary evaluation of the scene, in line with police and fire rescue departments within the Decrease Saucon Township the place the derailment came about.

The Saturday incident comes simply over a yr after Norfolk Southern’s trains derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 2023, releasing poisonous chemical compounds into the encompassing water and air, and setting off a dangerous fireplace. Days later, officers stated the city had elevated studies of complications, nausea and different signs from residents.

The Pennsylvania derailment has not triggered the identical contamination up to now, in line with preliminary assessments. Nonetheless, the derailment comes as Norfolk Southern faces a decided activist group, led by Ancora Holdings, which has amassed a $1 billion stake within the firm to oust CEO Alan Shaw.

“There currently are no evacuations or hazardous material threat to the community,” the Lower Saucon Township Police Department stated in an announcement at 11 a.m. ET, hours after first responders have been dispatched. “We request that everyone stay out of the area so first responders and Norfolk Southern personnel can continue to assess and work at the scene.”

Emergency responders deployed “containment booms,” boundaries used to manage the unfold of oil, within the Lehigh River the place there was a diesel gas spill from one of many prepare vehicles, police stated. One of many prepare vehicles additionally launched a heap of polypropylene plastic pellets.

Norfolk Southern’s crews joined native emergency responders on the scene to evaluate the harm.

“Our crews and contractors will remain on-scene over the coming days to clean up, and we appreciate the public’s patience while they work as quickly, thoroughly, and as safely as possible,” the corporate stated in an announcement to CNBC. “We are always working to advance safety. We will investigate this incident to understand how it happened and prevent others like it.”

The corporate stated it might vacuum out the diesel gas within the river and clear up the plastic pellets. A close-by street shall be quickly closed within the meantime.

The Nationwide Transportation Security Board’s preliminary evaluation of Saturday’s derailment discovered that an eastbound Norfolk Southern prepare collided with a parked prepare on the identical monitor. The resultant wreckage was then struck by a westbound Norfolk Southern prepare.

The NTSB is sending a group of “experts in train operations, signals & train control, mechanical systems, and human performance” to the scene later in the present day.

Saturday’s derailment in Pennsylvania provides to Norfolk Southern’s already full plate. The corporate has been coping with the aftermath of that East Palestine derailment for the previous yr.

The corporate and Shaw’s dealing with of the East Palestine fallout have been one of many issues that Ancora has scrutinized in its proxy supplies. 

“We hope the crew and everyone in Lower Saucon Township are unharmed by yet another derailment of a Norfolk Southern train,”  Cleveland-based Ancora stated in an announcement Saturday. It additionally reiterated a requirement for Shaw to step down.

The Environmental Safety Company and White Home officers demanded the corporate facilitate and pay for the cleanup and provide “unequivocal support” for East Palestine.

A yr later, the group continues to be reeling from the Norfolk Southern prepare catastrophe, cautious of the longer-term environmental impacts that the contamination may have set off. President Joe Biden visited East Palestine in February to specific help for the group and urge stronger railway security regulation.

— CNBC’s Rohan Goswami contributed to this report.