Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown said he is in touch with local officials and calling on passage of the Railway Safety Fact following a train derailment in Springfield late Saturday afternoon.
>>Railway Safety Act: How new proposed legislation aims to prevent train disasters like East Palestine
He thanked first responders who arrived on the scene quickly Saturday. after “another Norfolk Southern train derailed in Ohio,” Brown said in a social media post Saturday evening.
“Sandusky, Steubenville, East Palestine, and now Springfield - four Norfolk Southern derailments in less than five months because this corporation has been more concerned with its profit margin than with Ohioans’ safety,” he said in a statement. “Ohio communities should not be forced to live in fear of another disaster. It’s unacceptable, it’s why we must pass my bipartisan Railway Safety Act with Senator Vance, now.”
>>Norfolk Southern train derails in Springfield; No hazardous materials ‘involved’
Senators Brown and Vance introduced the legislation last week.
The proposal aims to prevent train disasters like what happened in East Palestine last month and Springfield Saturday, Brown said.
>>PHOTOS: Ground images of Springfield train derailment
The bill aims to improve rail safety protocols and establish requirements for wayside defect detectors and create a permanent requirement for railroads to operate with at least a two-person crew, a spokesperson for Senator Brown said.
No injuries have been reported in Saturday’s Springfield train derailment.
>>PHOTOS: Drone footage shows train derailment near Clark County Fairgrounds
A Norfolk Southern spokesperson said no hazardous materials were “involved” in the derailment.
WHIO Staff
Sat, March 4, 2023
UPDATE @ 10 p.m.:
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine confirmed he’s been in contact with federal officials including President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg after Saturday’s Norfolk Southern train derailment in Springfield.
>>PHOTOS: Drone footage shows train derailment near Clark County Fairgrounds
DeWine added that multiple state agencies including the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio Emergency Management Agency and the Ohio State Highway Patrol were all on the scene as well.
>>‘It’s unacceptable;’ Ohio Senator expresses frustration after latest train derailment in Springfield
>>Power outages reported following train derailment in Clark County
“We don’t believe hazardous materials were involved,” DeWine said in the social media post.
This story will continue to be updated as we learn more.
UPDATE @ 9:30 p.m.:
A news conference to provide updates on the train derailment in Springfield Saturday is not expected until after 11:30 p.m., a Clark County spokesperson told News Center 7 crews.
Around 20 rail cars on a Norfolk Southern train derailed around 5 p.m. near the on the state Route 41 crossing, just north of the Clark County Fairgrounds.
>>‘I started noticing all the debris;’ Witness captures video of train derailment in Springfield
No injuries have been reported. A Norfolk Southern spokesperson said no hazardous materials were “involved” in the derailment.
>>Power outages reported following train derailment in Clark County
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a social media post that he was briefed after the derailment and offered federal support to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
“I have been briefed by FRA leadership and spoke with Gov. DeWine to offer our support after the derailment today in Clark County, Ohio. No hazardous material release has been reported, but we will continue to monitor closely and FRA personnel are en route,” Buttigieg said.
UPDATE @ 8:20 p.m.:
Around 20 cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed Saturday night near the Clark County Fairgrounds, however hazardous materials are not “involved,” according to a spokesperson for the train company.
“This evening, approximately 20 cars of a 212-car Norfolk Southern train derailed while traveling Southbound in the vicinity of Springfield, Ohio. No hazardous materials are involved and there have been no reported injuries. Our teams are en route to the site to begin cleanup operations,” the spokesperson said in a statement to News Center 7 Saturday night.
>>Railway Safety Act: How new proposed legislation in Ohio aims to prevent train disasters like East Palestine
A shelter-in-place remains for people who live within 1,000 feet of the derailment, which happened near state Route 41 and Gateway Drive.
Norfolk Southern has been the subject of large regional and national scrutiny in the past weeks after one of its trains, hauling hazardous materials, derailed in East Palestine, Ohio in early February.
>>RELATED: Farmers concerned about soil after train derailment in East Palestine
We have multiple crews on the scene and we’ll continue to update this page as we learn more.
UPDATE @7:05 p.m.
The Clark County Emergency Management Agency is asking residents within a 1,000 feet of the train derailment in Clark County to shelter in place, according to a post on the Clark County’s Government Facebook page.
People living in the area of State Route 41 near the Prime Ohio Business Park to shelter-in-place out of abundance of caution.
They are asking residents to avoid the area of State Route 41 and find alternate routes.
Sky 7 Drone/Eric Higgenbotham
Sky 7 Drone/Eric Higgenbotham
-INITIAL STORY-
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office have confirmed deputes are on scene of a train derailment late Saturday afternoon.
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Deputies and medics responded to the area of State Route 41 and Gateway Boulevard near the Clark County Fairgrounds around 5 p.m.
Dispatchers confirm to News Center 7 they are on scene but no other information was available at this time.
Video sent from a News Center 7 viewer shows a couple of box cars derailed.
A hazmat crew is confirmed to be on scene, according to News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson.
The State Highway Patrol and Clark County Sheriff’s Office are also on scene.
We have a news crew on scene and will continue provide updates.
BREAKING: Drone Footage of Train Derailment near Clark County Fairground
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