Residences along a Norfolk Southern rail line in Whitemarsh Township outside Philadelphia were ordered to evacuate as a precautionary measure after 16 CSX freight train cars — one of them carrying a hazardous chemical — derailed early Monday morning. Thankfully in this case, it seems nothing aside from plastic beads spilled out of the wreck, and nobody was injured.
The derailment occurred shortly before 5 a.m. local time, and the train in question had been towing 40 cars. Of the cars that went off, one contained tetrachloroethylene, a degreaser used in dry cleaning identified by the EPA as a likely carcinogen; five were carrying the liquid fertilizer urea; and one had silicone pellets, per WPVI.
The rest of the cars that derailed were empty, and only silicone pellets were found near the tracks according to a Whitemarsh Township Police Department Facebook post. CSX itself reported “no indication of any leaks or spills of hazardous materials” in its own press release.
By 9:30 a.m., residents of the 12 homes near the site that evacuated were able to return. Cleanup plans are currently underway and CSX and Norfolk Southern told The Independent that they will assist local and state authorities as the Federal Railroad Administration leads an investigation.
As for the cause, CSX’s release stated it “appeared” to be “weather related.” Weather in Montgomery County was pretty mild at the time of the derailment, with no precipitation, a temperature of 70 degrees and a 3 mph wind, according to historical data from the National Weather Service.
Ever-longer trains run by skeleton crews have been pegged as the culprit behind the rash of freight derailments in recent years. Compared to what happened in East Palestine, Ohio earlier this year, Monday’s train was significantly smaller with fewer than half the number of cars. Local residents can breath a sigh of relief that this one didn’t emulate February’s worst-case scenario, but the way things are going, that may not inspire much confidence for the future.