BUCKLAND — Pan Am Railways spokeswoman Cynthia Scarano claims the organization “immediately” notified authorities of last Sunday’s freight train derailment, though local officials say communication was delayed.
According to Scarano, an eastbound train carrying 114 grain cars derailed about 2:40 a.m., Sunday beyond the Elm Street railroad crossing on the Buckland side of Shelburne Falls.
The derailment, still under investigation, only affected the last four cars on the train, with two tipping over completely and the other two remaining upright. No one was injured, but both the railroad crossings at Ashfield Street and at Elm Street were badly damaged, with twisted rails and broken chunks of pavement.
“We did immediately call Shelburne dispatch to let them know that two crossings were closed,” Scarano said, referring to the state police-run agency that serves most Franklin County towns.
However, the Shelburne Falls barracks of the Massachusetts State Police reported only receiving the information from Shelburne Control at around 5:50 a.m., and Buckland Police Chief James Hicks said his department was notified at around 6:15 a.m.
“At that time, the State Police were well aware of it and the Highway Department had been called,” Hicks said.
Rob Riggan, chairman of the Buckland Selectboard, expressed concern about the evident delay.
“This was a grain train, but it went right through the center of town, where there are a lot of homes,” Riggan said previously. “We should be informed — even if it’s nothing.”
As of Wednesday, Riggan said the issue would not be going away, and townspeople continue to be concerned.
“Emergency personnel should at least be aware that something is going on,” he said.
Additionally, when contacted this week, a Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) spokesman Christopher Besse said MEMA hadn’t been notified. However, Scarano said that Pan Am is “under no obligation to make any sort of calls to MEMA.”
“We’ve worked with MEMA to come up with an agreement,” she said. “For (a derailment of) any number over five cars we call them, or if there is a hazmat concern. That’s a mutual thing that we’ve worked out, it’s not a legal obligation or anything, and it’s proven very helpful when we’ve done that in the past year and a half.”
The Ashfield Street crossing was repaired first and the Elm Street crossing is expected to reopen at the end of this week or early next week.
Scarano said wooden planks will be placed beside the rails to cover damaged pavement, and repaving will be put off until spring.