Cheswick and Harmar residents fear last week's train derailment won't be the last
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — People who live alongside the railroad tracks in Cheswick and Harmar fear last week's derailment won't be the last.
Freeport Road is still closed to traffic after May 26's derailment, but the trains are running again. The derailment is far from the only crash to have happened along that stretch of railway. There have been three at an ungated crossing in the past three years.
In August 2020, a freight train smashed into a truck idling on the tracks, sending the truck into a building and killing the driver. That followed a train colliding with a pickup truck hauling a jet ski to a business in November 2019. There was another collision in May 2019, when a train rammed into a tractor-trailer.
People who cross the tracks on a daily basis said they've seen enough, including Allegheny County Councilman Nick Futules. But Norfolk Southern said gates are not its jurisdiction and must be approved by the Pennsylvania Utilities Commission.
However, it's not clear whether the leaders in Harmar or Cheswick have ever requested them.
"How many people have to die before you do something about it?" Futules said. "One's too many."
Most of the 3,000 gallons of petroleum distillate spilled from one damaged tanker last week have been trapped by booms on Guys Run Creek. Meanwhile, the Federal Railroad Administration is investigating the crash. The collision happened on a private road leading to a water treatment plant, but Futules said it highlights the need for gates or other safety measures.
"Trains don't stop," he said. "They can't stop if they see someone making a mistake."
There will be a meeting on Friday about reopening Freeport Road, but it appears that won't be happening until the weekend — at the earliest.