Train derails in Alabama as Norfolk Southern CEO testifies before Congress

Original article here.

Cleanup is underway after a train derailment in Calhoun County.

Sheriff Matthew Wade said about 30 Norfolk Southern train cars went off the tracks about 6:50 a.m. Thursday in a rural area between Iron City Motorway and Angel Road on the county’s eastside.

No one was injured, and the train cars were empty, Wade said. There is no hazardous materials threat.

“Everybody is safe,’’ the sheriff said. “They have already amassed a large crew of people, and they have cranes, and they are feverishly working.”

As the crews worked to clean up the Calhoun County derailment, Norfolk Southern’s CEO apologized before Congress on Thursday and pledged millions of dollars to help East Palestine, Ohio after a Feb. 3 toxic train derailment there.

“I want to begin today by expressing how deeply sorry I am for the impact this derailment has had on the residents of East Palestine and the surrounding communities,” CEO Alan Shaw told the Senate Environment and Public Works panel hearing.

The National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday it will begin a broad look at the company’s safety culture — the first such investigation within the rail industry since 2014.

The board said it has sent investigation teams to look into five significant accidents involving Norfolk Southern since December 2021.

A Norfolk Southern cargo train that derailed between Dayton and Columbus, Ohio on Saturday was heading from Bellevue, Ohio, to Birmingham with cars carrying liquid propane and ethanol.