Freight Train Carrying Trash, Recycling Derails in Massachusetts
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Five freight train cars derailed in Massachusetts on Thursday, but no hazardous materials were being hauled and there were no reports of injuries, according to US authorities.
The derailment took place around noon near Sculley Road, the Ayer Fire Department said. They added in a Facebook post, "The railroad cars involved do NOT contain hazardous materials."
Footage from the scene showed five train cars turned over, with the shipping containers they appeared to be carrying spilled onto the side of the tracks. Most of the cars remained on the tracks; Norfolk Southern engines were attached to the train, AP reported.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency originally said train 10 cars had derailed, but Ayer fire officials later provided an update that only five cars had derailed and another two were leaning. The train was parked at the time and not in motion when the derailment took place.
Transportation company CSX said its personnel were responding to the incident, as the line on which occurred is jointly owned with Norfolk Southern. The derailed train was operated by Springfield Terminals, and the incident didn't result in any injuries or impacts to the environment — nothing leaked or spilled, according to CSX.
On Feb. 3, a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in eastern Ohio, igniting a fire that covered the town of East Palestine in smoke. Fearful of an explosion, the authorities carved out an evacuation zone and carried out a controlled release of toxic fumes to neutralize burning cargo inside some of the train cars.
Residents feared for their health as concerns mounted about the effect the derailment and the fire could have on the environment and the transportation network.
A US safety board said on Tuesday it found anomalies in pressure relief devices (PRDs) of the freight train operated by Norfolk Southern Corp that derailed on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio.
The derailment of 38 cars including 11 carrying hazardous materials led to the release over 1 million gallons of hazardous materials, Ohio’s attorney general said, according to the New York Times.
