Freight cars derail along the Lehigh River in Pennsylvania
Several freight train cars derailed Saturday on the banks of the Lehigh River, a tributary of the Delaware River, in Pennsylvania, authorities said. No injuries or spills were reported.
Northampton County Emergency Management Services and the Lehigh County Hazardous Materials Team responded to the derailment in Lower Saucon Township, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles east of Allentown, and were assessing damage.
There were “no evacuations, no injuries and no leaks from containers,” Northampton County reported this on its Facebook page.
Photos of the derailment, which occurred just before 8 a.m., shared on social media show two locomotives on the banks of the river, one of which is partially submerged, and several container wagons derailed.
“The most important thing we can do for our first responders is to stay away from the scene,” the county wrote in all caps.
Northampton County Emergency Management Services did not immediately respond to a request for information.
Norfolk Southern, the railroad that operated the train, also was at the scene of the derailment and was conducting an investigation, the county said. Norfolk Southern, which owns the Lehigh Line, a major freight railroad that winds through New Jersey and Pennsylvania, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Lehigh River provides drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people, and as a tributary to the Delaware River, it contributes drinking water to 15 million people, according to American Rivers, an environmental nonprofit.
In January, Norfolk Southern agreed to participate in a federal safety reporting program following an investigation into the disastrous train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023. In that accident, dozens of freight cars carrying hazardous materials derailed and caught fire, destroying the city enveloped in toxic smoke and contaminating drinking water supplies.
From 2018 to 2022, Northampton County recorded 26 rail accidents or incidents, resulting in 13 reported injuries and no fatalities. under a dangerous mitigation plan.
A historically agricultural region, the Lehigh Valley has emerged in recent years as a warehouse hub.