A March 2 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train near Bethlehem, Pa., caused polypropylene resin pellets to spill near a local waterway.
No one was injured in the incident in Lower Saucon Township, which took place just over a year after a major derailment of another NS train in East Palestine, Ohio. The Ohio derailment led to a burnoff of vinyl chloride monomer, a feedstock used to make PVC resin.
The derailment near the Lehigh River involved three NS trains and also led to the spill of some diesel fuel. The National Transportation Safety Board said an eastbound Norfolk Southern train struck a stopped train on the same track.
The wreckage from the striking train then spilled onto an adjacent track where it was hit by a westbound NS train, according to the report. The crash led to the derailment of an unknown number of cars.
Officials said in the report there was no danger to the public from the derailment or the spills and no evacuation orders were in effect. The report added that the PP pellets spilled out of a single train car during the derailment and landed mostly on the ground.
News of the derailment led NS investor Ancora Holdings Group LLC of Cleveland to call for the removal of NS management and appointment of eight new board members.
"We hope the crew and everyone in Lower Saucon Township are unharmed by yet another derailment of a Norfolk Southern train," Ancora officials said in a news release. "Our proposed slate and management team are unanimous in their view that Norfolk Southern must become a safer and more reliable railroad before it can ever reach its full potential.
"Following this latest derailment, we call for the immediate termination of CEO Alan Shaw and stand ready to engage with the company about an orderly reconstitution of the board and a transition to capable management with a track record of actually delivering on safety commitments."
NS officials replied with their own statement, saying that "it is unfortunate that a serious situation is being used to mislead stakeholders and to advance a proxy fight narrative."
They added that NS "quickly responded" to the March 2 derailment and that the incident "resulted in no harm to the community and no hazardous material concerns from the rail cars."
"We take this incident seriously and work hard to avoid all accidents," officials said. NTSB "is investigating this incident, and we will work closely with them to understand how it happened and prevent others like it."