Freight Train Hits Canal Bridge, Closing Towpath

A passing freight train struck a bridge along the Manayunk Canal Monday afternoon, uprooting a tree and ripping up utility lines. 

No one was injured when a Norfolk-Southern Train traveling behind Main Street crushed a bridge, with its resulting damage destroying a wall between and the office.

While eating outside at Cafe Volo, Mike O'Brien and Kathleen Hazlett-O'Brien heard a loud crash, which they thought was the sound of a tree being ripped down due to construction.

"It was incredibly, incredibly loud. It shook the Century 21 building, and they all came running out from there, saying they thought they heard an earthquake," Hazlett-O'Brien said.

"The train came through, and the bridge came down on top of it, and that's what knocked everything else down," O'Brien said.

Jane Lipton of the talked about the incident, which happened around 2:30 p.m.

"I'm surprised they thought they could make it through. Regular cars clear it with only a foot-and-a-half. This wasn't going to cut it," she said. "We're just grateful no one got hurt."

She said the cleanup is "relatively straightforward."

The crash downed the the tree and utility lines, causing the nearby portion of the to be closed from Cotton to Levering Streets. 

"It's really a miracle no one got hurt, because the poll fell right in between. It was crazy," Hazlett-O'Brien.

Kay Sykora of Destination Schuylkill River said construction work along Venice Island wasn't going to touch those bridges, which she said initially provided access to mills for workers. Now, they serve as a utility bridge.

Also at , Martin Maaskant missed the commotion at first, as he wore his headphones. He came outside when people began rushing around.

"My girlfriend works upstairs, and she texted me, 'Did you feel the building shake?' I ran outside, and saw the wall down," he said.