Ann Rejrat

Full Train Coverage

LancasterOnline •

Toxic trains: Real-time hazmat info hard to get, even for Lancaster County's first responders

The windows rattled on Frank Frederick’s Union Street home in Columbia when the train passed 40 feet from his side yard.Frederick and his neighbors have been worried about what’s on those trains since the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania line, which prompted the intentional release and burning of toxic vinyl chloride and the evacuation of more than a thousand residents.“I have been wondering what it is on the trains, but nobody wants to say...
LancasterOnline •

Hazardous material on Lancaster County trains: How we got the information

The train that ran through Columbia on a Wednesday afternoon in May had cars with a red, diamond-shaped placard with 1075 in the center.That indicated LP Gas, liquefied propane gas, which is highly flammable and explosive and commonly used in cooking and heating.These placards and unique four-digit numbers are on all train cars with potentially hazardous materials and are searchable on Google.But when railroads and government officials were asked for records of what hazardous materials move thro...
LancasterOnline •

At least 28 hazardous materials moved through Lancaster County in 2021 [list]

At least 28 hazardous materials moved by train through Lancaster County in 2021, the most recent year for which that data is available in county officials’ commodity reports.The U.S. Department of Transportation defines hazardous material as "any materials that, because of quantity, concentration, or physical or chemical characteristics, pose a significant present or potential hazard to human health and safety, or to the environment, if released.TOXIC TRAINS IN LANCASTER COUNTY: FULL COVERAGEHer...
LancasterOnline •

What railroads operate in Lancaster County? [list]

The Hazardous Rail Transit Plan for Lancaster County, provided by county officials through a right-to-know request, addresses railroad transportation risks and gives emergency responders a general response plan.The plan, which is distributed to first responders and local emergency managers, outlines when to take action, how to identify hazardous material placards on a variety of railcar types, the procedures for emergency notification, how to establish incident command and organization, and info...
LancasterOnline •

Who responds? When do you evacuate? A look at Lancaster County's Hazardous Rail Transit Plan

The Hazardous Rail Transit Plan for Lancaster County, provided by county officials through a right-to-know request, addresses railroad transportation risks and gives emergency responders a general response plan.The plan, which is distributed to first responders and local emergency managers, outlines when to take action, how to identify hazardous material placards on a variety of railcar types, the procedures for emergency notification, how to establish incident command and organization, and info...
LancasterOnline •

Listen: LNP reporter talks toxic trains, reporting and transparency with WITF host

An LNP | LancasterOnline analysis in partnership with WITF found that real-time information on hazardous material transported by trains is nearly impossible to get, even for the first responders charged with responding to a derailment or other disaster. Reporters sought detailed information through Right-to-Know Law requests about train cargo from 12 central Pennsylvania counties. Only three of those counties said they had lists of specific chemicals being carried by trains – Lancaster, Juniata...
LancasterOnline •

Railroad's training for emergency responders is infrequent and not always convenient [Lancaster Watchdog]

Late last month, Norfolk Southern hosted three days of safety training in Harrisburg for emergency responders from across central Pennsylvania. The training provided by the company, which owns railroads stretching across the state and Lancaster County, is designed to familiarize firefighters and other responders with the types of railroad cars and other equipment that they may encounter in an emergency situation.Firefighters receive 24 hours of hazardous materials training their first year of se...
LancasterOnline •

Pa. Attorney General signs letter urging feds to require railroads to release more information about toxic freight in emergency situations

Attorneys General from Pennsylvania and 12 other states signed a letter last month to the U.S. Department of Transportation supporting a proposed federal rule to require railroads to make information about hazardous materials being hauled on their trains available electronically to emergency responders. The October 27 letter expressed support for a Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration rule introduced June 21 to require railroads, in the event of an accident such as a derailmen...
LancasterOnline •

Lancaster first responders applaud rule change about information sharing for hazardous materials on trains

Local emergency responders are applauding a new federal rule that requires train companies to give them immediate access to information about hazardous materials transported by rail after a train accident.“It’s something that’s been long overdue, and it’s something that will help first responders have an idea of what they’re getting themselves into,” said Jay Barninger, emergency management coordinator for Columbia Borough.The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipelines and Hazardous Materials...
LancasterOnline •

One year after East Palestine train derailment, not much has changed for local emergency responders

About 135 miles of active rail lines weave through Lancaster County carrying rail cars that at any point could be filled with hazardous material such as vinyl chloride, the chemical at the center of a train derailment near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border last year. On Feb. 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, less than a quarter-mile from the Pennsylvania border, prompting the intentional release and burning of toxic vinyl chloride and the evacuation of more than a th...