BUCKLAND — Representatives from Pan Am Railways met with Buckland and state officials, as well as with emergency dispatchers, to review how town officials were told about the Dec. 18 train derailment, and to work out a better notification procedure for the future.
Although the derailment of four grain cars was not a serious danger to the public, the damage to an open railroad crossing resulted in injuries to Tim Bohonowicz of Buckland, who suffered a concussion while driving over the broken Elm Street crossing that was still open nearly three hours after the derailment.
After reviewing what happened, railroad officials may notify the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency’s 24-hour dispatch service of an “unintended emergency braking,” so that the MEMA dispatch could then alert local officials, if warranted.
“I thought it was a very positive meeting,” said state Rep. Stephen Kulik, who hosted the meeting Friday at the Shelburne Falls Fire Station in Buckland. “I didn’t want this to be a meeting where fingers were pointed, but to come up with a statewide policy and procedures.”
Three executives from Pan Am Railways attended, along with Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Director Kurt Schwartz, regional MEMA manager Pat Carnevale, Shelburne Control Supervisor Charles Garrity and state police director of dispatch services, Matt Barstow. Also, the full Buckland Board of Selectmen, Buckland and Shelburne Falls fire chiefs and police chiefs were present.
According to Pan Am, the 114-car train experienced an “unintended emergency brake application,” which required the conductor to walk to length of the train, to assess the situation. In this case, the train was at least 7,000 feet long — more than a mile, according to Kulik.
The walk along the track took at least an hour, and the first notification went to Shelburne Falls dispatch (run by the State Police) at 3:51 a.m., but the conductor incorrectly reported the train was having mechanical failure and correctly reported it was blocking the Clement Street crossing.
State Police sent a trooper to Clement Street but did not notify local police. At 5:41, the conductor called dispatch again to say the train was gone but there was damage to the tracks and road crossings. The wooden crossing gates across Elm Street were down, but around 6:30 a.m., a Pan Am safety worker raised the gates, saying he had been told to raise them by the Pan Am dispatch. When the gates were raised, Bohonowicz drove over the crossing and was injured. Afterward, the gates were closed.
Pan Am is regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration but had worked out a “good faith” agreement to notify MEMA when: there’s a fatal accident; an accident involving hazardous material; or a derailment involving five or more cars.
The derailment threshold is set at five cars because derailments happen frequently, whenever a single train wheel leaves the track. Frequently, they’re as minor as a flat tire, according to Pan Am.
According to Kulik, MEMA Director Schwartz suggested that MEMA be notified of any emergency stop; then MEMA dispatch can notify local authorities.
Kulik said “the lost time” between when the train stopped on the tracks and the conductor’s inspection of it had been identified as a major problem, in this case.
“There’s nothing to be lost by notification of an immediate problem,” said Kulik, pointing out that MEMA runs a 24-hour dispatch service.
Kulik said the Buckland meeting will be followed up by another meeting to work out a protocol agreement that may also be used by other railways and for other communities in Massachusetts.
“I have confidence that Pan Am, MEMA and State Police have reached agreement on state protocol,” said Kulik. “Now it’s just a matter of putting it into place. I think it’s a very good outcome.”