Just days after the Amtrak tracks were repaired from a suspicious May 31st derailment, another catastrophic failure of the tracks and subsequent derailment – and at the same exact spot!!
June 26, 2011 – Seven freight-train cars derail in Amherst
Second derailment this month - the railroad bed, ties, and tracks had been completly repaired and inspected just days before.
AMHERST – A freight train derailed near the Station Road crossing just after 3 p.m. Saturday. There were no injuries and no hazardous spills from the derailment, which is the second in the last month to occur in South Amherst.
Amherst Police Lt. William Menard said that police officers and firefighters responded to a stretch of train track about 400 to 500 feet north of the Station Road crossing when the derailment was reported. They found that seven freight cars carrying lumber and crushed granite had gone of the tracks while traveling southbound.
Menard said that he did not see any of cargo spilled, and that Station Road remained open.
Police and fire officials left the scene after deciding it was not hazardous, leaving workers from New England Central Railroad to evaluate the derailment and begin planning to remove the cars.
New England Central Railroad owns that stretch of track, which was the site of a similar derailment on May 31. In that incident, six 65-foot freight cars carrying steel billets derailed at the Station Road crossing, tearing up the tracks and the road and blocking traffic. No one was injured and none of the freight was spilled.
Saturday’s derailment is currently blocking the tracks, which are used to transport about 100 freight cars a day and the Amtrak Vermonter train.
Representatives from New England Central Railroad could be reached for comment Saturday. A spokesman for Amtrak reported at 6:30 p.m. Saturday that he had heard about the derailment from the media, but there had not been notification by New England Central Railroad.
After the May 31 derailment, Steven Coomes, general manager of New England Central Railroad, said the Station Road crossing was partially replaced about four years ago. He said it could not be determined if that work had anything to do with the derailment.
Concerns raised about second freight train derailment in Amherst – By Rebecca Everett Created 06/27/2011
AMHERST – After the second freight train derailment in a month near the Station Road crossing, a neighbor and a town committee chairman are expressing concern over a nearby source of public drinking water.
There were no injuries and no hazardous spills from Saturday’s derailment, which took place just after 3 p.m. New England Central Railroad owns that stretch of track, which was the site of a similar derailment on May 31.
Amherst Police Lt. William Menard said that officers and firefighters responded to an area 400 to 500 feet north of the Station Road crossing on Saturday afternoon. They found that seven freight cars carrying lumber and crushed granite had gone off the tracks while traveling south.
Menard said he did not see any spilled cargo, and Station Road remained open.
Police and fire officials left the scene after deciding it was not hazardous, leaving workers from New England Central Railroad to evaluate the derailment and begin planning to remove the cars.
They were working on the site Sunday, Menard said. The derailment did not represent a major public safety or traffic problem, he said.
Michael Krasnik of Tanglewood Road said he walked around the site after the derailment and saw cars lying on their sides. He noticed that a lot of the rail ties were in bad shape, and said that section needs to be rebuilt.
He said some of the cars that were not derailed appeared to be tankers carrying liquid carbon dioxide (dry ice), which could have created a hazardous situation if the cars had crashed.
His biggest concern is that the area is near an aquifer that is one of Amherst’s sources of public drinking water.
“Sooner or later, there will be a chemical spill, and the town needs to take a more proactive role,” he said. “It’s not the town’s responsibility, but considering it’s so close to the water supply, the town should take some measures instead of waiting for the railroad to fix itself.”
Lyons Witten, chairman of the town’s Watershed Protection Committee, said the two derailments present a legitimate area of concern for town officials.
“One might be an accident, but with two, I definitely want to know why, and a lot of other people will, too,” he said.
Frank Couvares of nearby Kestrel Lane said he’s more concerned than he was after the first derailment.
“I hope the railroad will take seriously the upkeep of the track,” he said. “My sense is that with two derailments, it must be undermaintained.”
In the May 31 incident, six 65-foot freight cars carrying steel billets derailed at the Station Road crossing, tearing up the tracks and the road and blocking traffic. No one was injured and none of the freight was spilled.
Saturday’s derailment blocked the tracks, which are used to transport about 100 freight cars a day and the Amtrak Vermonter train. It was not clear Sunday night what impact the derailment would have on Amtrak service today.
Representatives from New England Central Railroad could not be reached for comment Saturday or Sunday.
After the May 31 derailment, Steven Coomes, general manager of New England Central Railroad, said the Station Road crossing was partially replaced about four years ago. He said it could not be determined if that work had anything to do with the derailment.
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