East Palestine train derailment: Rail industry safety in focus
Retired Norfolk Southern engineer says disaster could have been prevented.
Five cars attached to a freight train moving through Ayer, Massachusetts derailed on Thursday, but no toxins or chemicals were involved, according to officials.
The Ayer Fire Department responded to the scene shortly after 11:30 a.m. along with members of the Ayer Police Department, for reports of a train derailment.
Cars from a freight train derailed in Ayer, Massachusetts on Thursday. (Ayer Fire Department)
When crews arrived, they found five cars had derailed from the train line, shared by both CSX and Norfolk Southern.
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The fire department said in a press release that train dispatch was notified about the derailment and confirmed the cars did not contain hazardous materials.
CSX railroad personnel on the scene confirmed that the sealed cars were carrying trash and recycling materials, though containment booms were deployed in nearby waters as a precaution.
Five cars on a train operated by CSX derailed on Thursday in Ayer, Massachusetts. (Ayer Fire Department)
WCVB-TV in Boston reported the derailed cars were attached to Norfolk Southern engines, though the company said it was not operating the train.
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Norfolk Southern told Fox News Digital that it was not operating the train, but that CSX was.
CSX told Fox News Digital that the freight train, operated out of Springfield Terminals, derailed five rail cars carrying 10 intermodal containers holding solid waste on the Pan Am Southern rail line in Ayer.
"There were no reported injuries to the crew, no hazardous materials involved, no leaks or spills of any freight and no impacts to the environment," a spokesperson from CSX said. "CSX personnel are responding as the incident occurred on a line jointly owned with Norfolk Southern. We are working closely with local first responders to assess the situation and develop a recovery plan."
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The spokesperson added that the cause of the derailment is currently under investigation.
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