Sunday evening update: Amtrak expects regularly scheduled service to resume on Monday.
Norfolk Southern, Amtrak and federal authorities are working together to fully restore passenger rail service on the Northeast corridor after 20 loaded coal cars derailed 20 miles north of Baltimore early Saturday morning.
NS (NYSE: NSC) said it is working to restore service as quickly as possible, NS spokesman Connor Spielmaker told FreightWaves. The train was hauling 130 railcars altogether when the cars derailed at 2:00 a.m. ET, he said.
“Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the material does not pose a danger to responders or the community,” Spielmaker said.
NS was unable to say whether the incident will impact frieght operations. Amtrak owns the track where the derailment occurred.
However, Amtrak’s service was disrupted as a result of the derailment. In its latest update, Amtrak said for Saturday and Sunday, it limited Acela service between New York and Philadelphia as well as Northeast regional service between Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and points south. Amtrak has also canceled the Palmetto service running between Savannah, Ga., and New York.
“Due to Norfolk Southern freight derailment in Perryman, Md., all service operating between Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia is temporarily suspended Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6. Amtrak will operate a modified schedule between New York and Philadelphia. Crews are working to repair the track and we will restore service as quickly as possible,” Amtrak said.
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