Middleboro officials seek to avert dangerous train situation
Practices of CSX freight train operators pose a concern
MIDDLEBORO —
Could a parked train car near the town gas plant fuel a catastrophic explosion?
Town officials don’t want to wait and find out.
CSX parks freight cars carrying trash under the Center Street bridge – which is less than 200 feet from the gas plant – and town officials fear it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
“We’ve had two fires this year involving rail cars carrying trash,” said Fire Chief Lance Benjamino.
CSX operates the trains and after fires in June and August Benjamino contacted CSX officials.
“We explained the dangers of the trash cars being stationary under the bridge and in close proximity to the LNG (liquid natural gas) supply and requested they stop that practice. Obviously the practice continues as I drove by yesterday and saw the train under the bridge,” Benjamino said. “It’s very difficult to get any action.”
Benjamino closed the overpass once this year because heavy smoke posed a threat to vehicular traffic on the Center Street bridge.
The state bought the tracks from CSX, but Michael Verseckes, spokesman for the Department of Transportation said, “MassDOT does, in fact, own the railroad in this area, however the sale of the property to MassDOT included a provision that grants CSX an easement to conduct its freight operations.”
That easement gives CSX the right to operate as it sees fit and without any sort of special permission from the state to do so, Verseckes explained.
“Why put the trash train and the threat right next to the Middleboro gas plant?” said Gas & Electric Commissioner Glenn Montapert. “I don’t want to worry about the threat of fire near the gas plant, nor something hostile taking over and threatening the town.”
Verseckes said the state is willing to bring officials from Middleboro and CSX together to discuss the concerns.
Montapert agrees it’s time to sit down and talk, and he wants to tell CSX officials, “You’re right outside a gas plant, can you slide down a little further down the track?“
“We have not heard about these concerns. But let me assure you that CSX will look into this matter,” said CSX spokesman Gary Sease, in an email to The Enterprise.
Read more: http://www.enterprisenews.com/topstories/x1069226610/Middleboro-officials-seek-to-avert-dangerous-train-situation#ixzz2ld0h9r4Z
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