Norfolk Southern Railway has reopened its tracks on Pittsburgh’s South Side, but the Station Square T remains closed for now,
Light-rail station still closed after derailment
Norfolk Southern Railway has reopened its tracks on Pittsburgh’s South Side after Sunday’s derailment and cleared debris from the tracks of the Port Authority’s lightrail system, but the Station Square T station remains closed.
The railroad began operating westbound trains about 4 a.m. Wednesday after crews finished emergency track repairs. Trains heading east resumed operation about 12:20 p.m. Wednesday.
The tracks had been closed since Sunday afternoon, when seven cars carrying double-stacked trailers derailed above the Station Square T platform. Crews removed the final cars, containers and the freight they were carrying from the tracks Tuesday afternoon.
Although debris also has been removed from the Port Authority tracks, the cleanup operation continues on Carson Street and at a parking lot at Station Square. In a news release, the railroad said its contractors were shredding and disposing of damaged rail cars and containers, using excavators equipped with hydraulic shears and a large shearing machine to reduce the metal to scrap.
Undamaged containers were being taken to a Norfolk Southern intermodal facility in Pitcairn.
Cargo that spilled out of the containers and was too damaged to be salvaged was being loaded into dumpsters and taken to landfills. Railroad spokesman Jon Glass said cargo that could be salvaged was being evaluated by the railroad, shippers and buyers.
Some of the consumer products could be donated to charities, but
ownership and liability are complicated legal questions that have to be sorted out first, Mr. Glass said.
The railroad still had a 450-ton construction crane on East Carson to remove debris alongside the railroad tracks but expected to move it out by midnight Wednesday.
The Port Authority is continuing to run its lightrail system via the Allentown line rather than through Station Square. That can add 20 to 30 minutes to the trip between Downtown and the South Hills.
Port Authority engineers hadn’t assessed track damage near Station Square by late Wednesday, but CEO Katharine Eagan Kelleman said earlier that she hoped “we’re speaking about days and not weeks.”
Ms. Kelleman said Port Authority will accept Norfolk Southern’s offer to help with track repairs and let attorneys sort out who pays the cost. She’s thankful the train wasn’t carrying hazardous materials and no one was seriously injured.
“I hate to say this is the best possible train derailment we could have, but this is the best possible train derailment we could have,” she said.
The Mon Incline resumed operation Wednesday afternoon.