- The Washington Times - Saturday, March 2, 2024

A trio of Norfolk Southern trains suffered a collision and derailed near Easton, Pennsylvania, Saturday, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

The crash happened at 7:15 a.m. in Lower Saucon Township, with no injuries suffered by the crews of the three trains, the township’s police said in a release.

The NTSB’s initial assessment found that an eastbound Norfolk Southern train hit a parked train. The combined wreck was then hit by a westbound Norfolk Southern train, according to CNBC.

The Nancy Run Fire Co. posted pictures of the derailment on Facebook, noting that two locomotive engines ended up in the Lehigh River.

The crash caused diesel fuel to leak into the river. Plastic pellets also spilled from one of the overturned train cars, but police said the derailment doesn’t pose a hazardous threat to local residents.

Norfolk Southern wrote on X, “Our crews and contractors will remain on-scene over the coming days to clean up. … We are always working to advance safety. We will investigate this incident to understand how it happened and prevent others like it.”

An activist investor looking to oust Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw also commented on the derailment.

“We hope the crew and everyone in Lower Saucon Township are unharmed by yet another derailment of a Norfolk Southern train,” Ancora Holdings, which has a $1 billion stake in the company, told CNBC.

In February 2023, a derailed Norfolk Southern train led to a chemical leak into waterways and soil, followed by a purposeful burning of derailed cars that sent toxic vinyl chloride fumes into the atmosphere. 

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.

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