NTSB investigating Norfolk Southern derailment in Pennsylvania

Jun 12, 2023

The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday it has launched an investigation into the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in Western Pennsylvania that occurred a day earlier.

The railroad said nine cars came off the tracks and no one was hurt. No hazardous materials were released, Norfolk Southern said.

Three people familiar with the incident said an initial investigation indicates the train suffered a wheel bearing problem similar to the one that affected a train that came off the tracks in East Palestine, Ohio, in February, spilling chemicals and prompting an evacuation.

Two of the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said preliminary information indicates that a detector designed to warn about hot bearings had sent an alert to a Norfolk Southern safety desk, but that the train's crew didn't receive a warning.

Wednesday's derailment happened in the community of New Castle, about 15 miles over the Pennsylvania border from East Palestine, and on the same day a Senate committee voted to advance rail safety legislation. The bill would set standards for how the detectors work and tighten other railroad safety rules. It is being championed by the senators from Ohio, as well as those from Pennsylvania, where communities also were put at risk.

Senate panel approves rail safety bill after East Palestine derailment

"It's time to finally hold Norfolk Southern and the big rail companies accountable for the harm they have caused in East Palestine and Darlington Township, and the harm they continue to cause with this dangerous, reckless, and selfish behavior," Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said in a statement.

NTSB spokeswoman Jennifer Gabris said that a team was arriving at the scene Thursday afternoon but that she could not provide more details about what had happened. Connor Spielmaker, a spokesman for Norfolk Southern, said he couldn't comment on what might have caused the Pennsylvania derailment while the NTSB investigation was underway.

The safety board is investigating a number of derailments involving Norfolk Southern trains and has taken the unusual step of launching a special safety review of the company's culture. The board announced the review the day a conductor was killed on a train hit by a dump truck in Cleveland.

The use of hot bearing detectors by freight railroads quickly became a focus for regulators and lawmakers after the East Palestine derailment. The train had passed two detectors that found elevated temperatures on a bearing, but it traveled 20 miles before passing a third. The last detector recorded a critically high temperature, warning the crew, but it did not have enough time to stop before the train derailed.

Major railroads announced a plan to install about 1,000 more detectors to fill gaps in their networks. The legislation that advanced Wednesday would require them to be placed, on average, every 15 miles.

Asked about the Pennsylvania derailment, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), chairwoman of the Commerce Committee, said through a spokeswoman that it might have been avoided had the bill's provisions been in place.

"I am thankful there were no injuries this time, but enough is enough," she said. "It's time for Congress to get on board to improve rail safety."

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