Seven cars from a freight train derailed and crashed into the Station Square light rail stop on Sunday afternoon, causing extensive damage, according to Norfolk Southern officials. That number was updated from the original four cars said to have derailed.
Crews gathered in the parking lot across from the site Monday morning and prepared to begin cleanup. City officials say the rail cars will be removed from their positions on the hillside and down into the parking lot, before being trucked away. While the area is marked with caution tape, commuters continued to duck under the lines. Officials urge people to respect the tape lines.
No injuries have been reported.
*This post was updated at 9:31 a.m. Monday, Aug. 6, 2018.
All inbound and outbound transit from South Hills station was suspended after the Norfolk Southern train derailed from the hill above at about 1 p.m.
Station Square right now. We are working. To establish bus shuttles to get riders to/from the South Hills. pic.twitter.com/UO9qGG3ZW4
— Port Authority PGH (@PGHtransit) August 5, 2018
In a statement, the Port Authority of Allegheny County said it created a shuttle service from Wood Street Station to Potomac Station on the Red Line, and a shuttle from Wood Street Station to South Bank on the Blue Line.
Port Authority and emergency services are inspecting the damage and cleanup is expected to take several days. In the meantime, several major roads and means of transit near the area are closed.
#Pittsburgh Traffic: @CityPGH’s @DowntownPitt. The Smithfield Street Bridge, Wabash Tunnel, & Monongahela Incline are closed this morning. West Carson Street from the bridge to Arlington Avenue is closed. Please plan ahead and expect delays throughout the South Side in response. https://t.co/p5Vi12atX6
— Pittsburgh Public Works (@PGHDPW) August 6, 2018
"We have no clue how long [the cleanup] will take," said Chris Togneri, Public Information Officer for the City of Pittsburgh's Department of Public Safety.
Norfolk Southern spokesperson Jim Glass said the westbound train heading from northern New Jersey to Chicago consisted of three locomotives and 57 loaded intermodal rail cars, and was 7,687 feet long and weighed 4,838 tons. Such trains primarily carry consumer goods such as appliances, clothes, electronics and food, he said.
Togneri said that one of the freight cars contained Listerine mouthwash that spilled in the crash, and provided a minty aroma that could be smelled from the street.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
