AUBURN — A Porter man arrested in August for criminal trespassing on railroad tracks here last summer testified in a packed courtroom Thursday that he took that action to save the lives of city residents. Douglas Bowen Jr. was one of two defendants scheduled for a hearing in Androscoggin County Superior Court. Earlier, roughly 70 […]
rail safety
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Oil companies and railroads spar over changing rail safety standards
AUGUSTA — Ever since a crude oil train disaster decimated a Quebec village’s downtown last July, Maine fire departments have been requesting training on rail safety. “I’m booking right now straight into November,” said Richard Towle, who coordinates such training as a law enforcement liaison for the Federal Rail Administration. The catastrophe at Lac-Mégantic took […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine DOT report says existing rail safety guidelines are adequate
AUGUSTA — A rail safety review ordered by Maine Gov. Paul LePage following a fiery train derailment that claimed 47 lives north of the border in Quebec has determined that existing practices are adequate, but it didn’t address the issue of single-person crews for trains hauling oil and other hazardous materials. Maine Transportation Commissioner David Bernhardt […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Feds inspect Maine tracks used to transport oil
PORTLAND — Federal railroad inspectors are in Maine inspecting tracks that are used to transport crude oil, including those owned by the rail company involved in a catastrophic derailment and series of explosions in Quebec this month. Inspections will continue through the end of summer, focused primarily on tracks owned by Montreal, Maine and Atlantic […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Quebec disaster pumps new life into pipeline safety debate
CALGARY, Alberta — A train disaster in Quebec promises to touch off debate over the safety of shipping crude oil by rail or pipelines such as TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL. As authorities began investigating the explosion of refinery-bound tank cars hauled by Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway Ltd., Quebec’s Green Party demanded stricter regulations and […]