Freight train carrying hazardous materials derails in Pennsylvania, sparking evacuations

Railroad industry has faced controversy this year over safety concerns

Precautionary evacuations are underway after a freight train derailed in southeast Pennsylvania on Monday morning.

Just before 5am EDT, a 40-car CSX train derailed while operating on tracks owned by Norfolk Southern in Whitemarsh Township, located approximately seven miles outside of Philadelphia.

About 16 of the cars appeared to be off the track, according to a press release from CSX. 

Police in Whitemarsh Township conducted evacuations of about a dozen residents and businesses closest to the scene “out of an abundance of caution”, seemingly due to one car that was transporting hazardous material.

However, CSX said that is “no indication of any leaks or spills of hazardous materials.”

Police echoed that there were no known hazards posing a risk to the public nor were there any injuries at the time of the derailment.

“As of now, the only thing that is leaking from any of the rail cars involved is silicone pellets, which pose no risk to the community,” Whitemarsh Township Police Department wrote on Facebook.

It is unclear what caused the derailment at this time but in their press release CSX said the cause of the derailment “appears to be weather related.”

Representatives from Norfolk Southern, CSX and the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety Emergency Response Team were on site as of Monday morning.

Norfolk Southern said in a statement to The Independent that they were assisting CSX and authorities with cleanup.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro tweeted that he was “monitoring the train derailment in Whitemarsh Twp and assisting local first responders.”

“Thank you to the residents taking precautions at the direction of local authorities. I urge you to continue following their instruction,” Mr Shapiro added.

The derailment comes just months after a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio resulting in a two-day-long controlled burn of potentially dangerous chemicals.

Shortly after the incident, two other freight trains derailed, leading to public concerns over the railway industry’s safety and engineering precautions