LINDEN, N.J. (PIX11) -- In the wake of a scary-looking tanker car train derailment, Concerns for rail safety are renewed, and along with it, questions of whether more regulation is needed.
"I think the answer has to be somewhere between 'open-minded' and 'yes,'" said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, commenting on Thursday morning's eight-car derailment in Linden at a separate news conference.
It happened around 7 a.m. on Conrail's Garden State Secondary Line along the New Jersey Turnpike. Linden Police said there were no reported injuries or spills along the 90+ car freight train.
"We've seen in the nation too many of these realities, and as you rightfully pointed out -I'll say it a little bit differently- we're the most densely populated state in America with a whole lot of rail tracks," said Murphy.
"We really need a reform of the system when it comes to trains," said Maya van Rossum of Delaware Riverkeeper Network, a nonprofit that advocates for the health of waterways in the Delaware River Watershed, including New Jersey and New York.
While the derailment did not happen on a passenger line or pass directly through any neighborhoods, van Rossum said derailments can have long-standing consequences.
"We need to have the most up-to-date protective regulatory standards put in place for the rail car system across the nation," said van Rossum.
Responders remained on the scene much of the day. The cause is still under investigation.