PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Weather likely played a part in the freight train derailment in Whitemarsh Township on Monday, according to CSX.
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A spokesperson said preliminary findings show that a sinkhole apparently opened up under a trackbed. That area got 3 inches of rain on Sunday.
However, the spokesperson said it is still too early to determine the exact reason for the derailment.
More than a dozen cars on a CSX train derailed along a Norfolk Southern line around 5 a.m. Monday, near Flourtown Road, Joshua Road and Stenton Avenue.
Emergency crews evacuated several nearby homes as a precaution, as some of the cars leaked a substance. It was later discovered that the substance, silicone pellets, posed no risk to the public or the environment.
Track repairs are still underway before it can safely reopen to train traffic.