Sinkhole discovered at Luzerne County rail line in Ashley

A sinkhole partially under Luzerne County’s rail line in Ashley is expected to temporarily suspend train traffic, county Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Margaret Thomas said Tuesday.

Thomas said the authority, which owns the rail line and land containing the sinkhole, was informed of the discovery Saturday.

This stretch of line services the Hanover Industrial Park, she said.

The authority was awaiting a determination from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on the cause of the sinkhole and how it must be addressed, Thomas said.

Thomas said she was informed the Ashley hole was estimated to be at least 30 feet deep, and opinions are mixed on whether it is related to a water issue or an abandoned mine shaft.

A DEP spokesperson said Tuesday evening the department’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation has concluded the hole is not mine-related. A county railroad representative has been notified of that decision, the spokesperson said.

In the past, a sinkhole near the county rail line in the area of Cleveland Street in the Hudson section of Plains Township was filled in with rock and a concrete “slurry” designed to reach all nooks and crannies, Thomas said.

“We won’t move forward until we have answers on what we’re dealing with,” Thomas said. “We’re all working in conjunction to resolve this.”

For now, the hole has been cordoned off, she said.

Ashley Borough Manager Samuel T. Guesto Jr. said a borough council member contacted him about the hole Saturday, and he alerted county Emergency Management and the redevelopment authority.

Located on the portion of track near the Family Dollar on Main Street, the hole is “perfectly round” with a 3-foot circumference, Guesto said. Three railroad ties are over the hole, he said.

Guesto said the hole is close to a Solomon Creek overpass.

Borough representatives placed cones around the site, he said.

While the borough is willing to assist if needed, Guesto said the matter is now in the hands of DEP and the property owner, the redevelopment authority.