Federal investigators are looking into the cause of a train derailment Tuesday at the Horseshoe Curve in Altoona, which marks the third time a derailment happened this year at or near the national historic landmark.
The moment of the derailment was captured on a “Virtual Railfan” livestream, where you can see 12 railcars go off the track.
Crews worked overnight to get the railcars back on track. A Norfolk Southern spokesperson said no hazardous materials were released and that all tracks are expected to be back in service sometime Wednesday afternoon.
Still, officials with the Railroaders Memorial Museum, which owns and operates the property at the Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark, closed the area on Wednesday.
This is the third time this year a train has derailed near the Horseshoe Curve. The first derailment happened on February 6 with about 65 railcars derailed. The second derailment happened on March 7 with 17 railcars going off the tracks.
Norfolk Southern says there were no injuries reported in any of the derailments.
Norfolk Southern says they're looking into the cause, per the normal procedure. The Federal Railroad Administration's website has the investigation results of the last two derailments: one happened because of a mechanical error while the other was a problem with the track.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman posted to social media that his office is talking with local officials to get more information.
"Another sad reminder of why we need stronger rail safety standards and laws to hold railroads accountable, especially after the disaster in East Palestine," Fetterman said.
**CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story reported the National Safety Transportation Board is investigating, but an NTSB spokesperson says they are not. Norfolk Southern reported the causes of the last two derailments to the Federal Railroad Administration.
FRA itself does not conduct investigations unless the derailment meets strict criteria, such as at least one person dying or getting seriously injured.**
