Norfolk Southern Corporation President and CEO Alan Shaw reacts as he testifies before a U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on threats to the environment and public health from the train derailment. Norfolk Southern on February 3, March 9, 2023, in Washington, DC.
Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images
A South Norfolk A freight train derailed Saturday morning in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, spilling diesel and plastic pellets into the nearby river, according to local authorities.
According to police and firefighters in the Lower Saucon district, where the derailment occurred, no injuries were reported after a preliminary assessment of the scene.
Saturday’s accident comes just over a year after Norfolk Southern trains derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 2023, releasing toxic chemicals into the surrounding water and air and starting a damaging fire. Days later, officials said there had been increased reports of headaches, nausea and other symptoms from residents in the city.
The derailment in Pennsylvania has so far not caused the same contamination, according to initial assessments. However, the derailment comes as Norfolk Southern faces a determined group of activists, led by Ancora Holdings, who have amassed a $1 billion stake in the company to oust CEO Alan Shaw.
“There are currently no evacuations or hazardous material threats to the community,” the Lower Saucon Borough Police Department said in a statement at 11 a.m. ET, hours after first responders were dispatched. “We ask that everyone remain out of the area so that first responders and Norfolk Southern personnel can continue to assess and work on the scene.”
Rescue workers deployed “containment booms,” barriers used to control the spread of oil, into the Lehigh River where a diesel fuel spill occurred from one of the train’s cars, police said. One of the train cars also released a bunch of polypropylene plastic pellets.
Norfolk Southern crews Local rescue workers rushed to the scene to assess the damage.
“Our crews and contractors will remain on site over the next few days to clean up, and we appreciate the public’s patience as they work as quickly, thoroughly and safely as possible,” the company said in a statement to CNBC. “We are always working to improve safety. We will investigate this incident to understand how it happened and prevent similar ones.”
The company said it will vacuum diesel fuel into the river and clean up plastic pellets. In the meantime, a nearby road will be temporarily closed.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s initial assessment of Saturday’s derailment found that an eastbound Norfolk Southern train collided with a train parked on the same track. The resulting wreck was then struck by a westbound Norfolk Southern train.
The NTSB will send a team of “experts in rail operations, train signals and control, mechanical systems, and human performance” to the scene later today.
Saturday’s derailment in Pennsylvania adds to Norfolk Southern’s already full plate. The company has been dealing with the aftermath of the East Palestine derailment over the past year.
The company and Shaw’s handling of the East Palestine fallout were one of the things Ancora examined carefully in his proxy materials.
“We hope the crew and everyone in Lower Saucon Township is unharmed from yet another Norfolk Southern train derailment,” Cleveland-based Ancora said in a statement Saturday. She also reiterated calls for Shaw to resign.
The Environmental Protection Agency and White House officials called on the company to facilitate and pay for the cleanup and to offer “unequivocal support” to East Palestine.
A year later, the community is still reeling from the Norfolk Southern train disaster, wary of the long-term environmental impacts the contamination could cause. President Joe Biden visited eastern Palestine in February to express support for the community and push for stronger regulation of rail safety.
— CNBC’s Rohan Goswami contributed to this report.