Norfolk Southern train derails in Pittsburgh

A five-car train derailed Saturday morning in Pittsburgh’s West End, closing a section of West Carson Street for a time, Pittsburgh Public Safety officials said.

The Norfolk Southern train cars were empty, and no hazardous material was leaked, a company spokesperson told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. No injuries were reported, and crews began to clear the train cars.

Pittsburgh police responded to the crash, which police said occurred about 10 a.m. near Telford Street and West Carson Street in Esplen, a neighborhood in the city’s West End.

ALERT: Crews are currently on-scene of a five car train derailment in the area of Telford Street and West Carson St. The cars were empty and there are no hazards or injuries at this time.
W. Carson is closed between Corliss Tunnel and McKees Rocks Plaza. pic.twitter.com/G73TeZvnpu

— Pittsburgh Public Safety (@PghPublicSafety) April 8, 2023

In response to the derailment, West Carson closed between the Corliss Tunnel and McKees Rocks Plaza for over an hour. The road has reopened.

The empty-car derailment comes about two months after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. That Ohio derailment leaked hazardous chemicals and was followed by a controlled burn of vinyl chloride into the air.

The company was largely criticized for the derailment and its clean-up efforts, and politicians have condemned Norfolk Southern and introduced railway safety legislation as a result.

In 2018, a Norfolk Southern train derailed at Station Square causing damage at a light rail station below its tracks. The Station Square derailment occurred about three miles from Saturday’s derailment and along the same rail corridor.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, there were at least 1,164 train derailments across the U.S. in 2022. That means the nation averages about three train derailments per day.