Another PA train derailment, another close call catastrophic accident averted

Barely a year after the catastrophic train derailment and explosion in East Palestine, Ohio that threatened public health and has left the nearby community with more questions than answers, people living near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania had a near-miss when three different Norfolk Southern freight trains derailed along the Lehigh River. 

CBS News Philadelphia coverage of the recent derailment in Lower Saucon TownshipPhoto by staff | Public Domain

The incident took place early on Saturday morning, March 2, in Lower Saucon Township, Northampton County. A chain reaction of derailments occurred after one freight train hit another train on the same track, and then wreckage from the original collision fell onto another set of tracks, derailing a third train. 

The accident spilled diesel fuel into the Lehigh River, and dumped plastic pellets along the river’s banks. At least one train car ended up in the river itself. 

PennEnvironment Executive Director David Masur interviewed on WFMZ Channel 69 in the Lehigh Valley about this week’s Bethlehem train derailment.Photo by staff | Public Domain

Luckily, first responders were safely able to avert disaster: no explosion or larger release of toxic or flammable materials accompanied the accident. 

But this near-miss was a stark reminder about the urgent needs for greater safety standards, increased public access to information about trains carrying toxic and dangerous materials through our communities, and requiring the use of modern equipment in an era where commercial freight trains regularly use century-old technology. 

In 2015, PennEnvironment released our report “Danger Around the Bend,” which has been widely referenced since then on the threats posed by trains transporting dangerous materials. For almost a decade, we have been pressing for solutions, including: 

• Halting the transport of dangerous and explosion chemicals by rail;
• Expanding the definition of “high-hazard flammable trains” to include all trains carrying any compound that could explode and poison communities,
• Requiring companies to reroute trains carrying hazardous material away from populated areas;
• Improving first responders’ and the public’s right to know about trains coming through their communities and the materials they’re transporting;
• Subjecting freight companies to greater levels of inspections and oversight;
• Requiring freight companies to be properly insured to cover the cost of an train disaster and safety violation fines;
• Updating and improving America’s ailing rail infrastructure. 

The good news is multiple proposals in Congress would implement some of these best practices. 

One of the most comprehensive is S. 576, the Railway Safety Act of 2023, which has been introduced in the U.S. Senate with broad bipartisan support.  

Consider: in our world of polarized politics, how often do we get senators across the political spectrum such as. Bob Casey, Marco Rubio, John Fetterman, Josh Hawley, Amy Klobuchar, and JD Vance all in agreement? When we get that kind of bipartisan support, it should be a no-brainer for Congress to move that proposal forward. 

PennEnvironment also worked with a group of U.S. Representatives to introduce companion bills to S. 576. These include the bipartisan House Bill 1674 (the U.S. House’s version of the Railway Safety Act), and House Bill 1238. Both House bills are sponsored by Pittsburgh-area U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio. 

We will continue to advocate for commonsense, much-needed solutions to protect our health, communities and environment from a potentially catastrophic train accident, and sound the alarm when derailments like this occur in Pennsylvania or anywhere in the country.