CSX worker plugs the leak
SAUGERTIES – Residents of the Malden-West Camp area of the Town of Saugerties were advised Tuesday evening to close their windows as the result of a reported chemical leak from a train.
Town Police issued the health alert due to a report of leaking hydrochloric acid.
A CSX spokesman said at about 5:18 p.m., a train carrying mixed freight from Selkirk, NY to Kearney, NJ, was observed releasing vapor from a single tank car containing hydrochloric acid while near Malden Turnpike in Saugerties.
The train was stopped and CSX notified the Ulster County Emergency Communication Center and state Department of Transportation. CSX hazardous materials specialists, working closely with state and local officials, determined the vapor was caused by a faulty gasket on the tank car.
No spills or leaks were detected and the tanker car was removed to a nearby CSX rail yard where it has been safely secured until repairs can be made.
Saugerties Police are currently conducting an investigation with the railroad to determine what happened.
