(The following article by Rob Montana was posted on the Hornell Evening Tribune website on March 17.)
BURNS, N.Y. — A Norfolk Southern train derailed and split apart this morning west of Arkport.
According to Rudy Husband, director of public relations for Norfolk Southern, the cause of the accident has not been determined yet and is still under investigation. The accident occurred on the stretch of track between Burns and Arkport, in the Steuben County Town of Dansville.
About 5 a.m. this morning, the train left the tracks, splitting apart and tipping over several cars. Of the 117 total cars, only a handful were affected.
“The train started in Buffalo and was headed to Allentown, carrying mixed freight. There were no hazardous materials on board,” said Husband. “There were 11 cars at the rear of the train that derailed. It’s still under investigation, we don’t know what caused it.”
There was no indication whether or not the accident was weather related.
Other train traffic on the line was stopped while crews were dispatched to clean up the site.