Massachusetts train derails, no hazardous cargo reported
By The Associated Press on March 23, 2023.
AYER, Mass. (AP) – Some freight train cars derailed in Massachusetts on Thursday but no hazardous materials were being hauled, a local fire department said. Video appeared to show Norfolk Southern engines hauling several railcars that had toppled off the tracks onto their sides. The train derailed around noon in the area of Sculley Road in the town of Ayer, the fire department said in a tweet. The train was hauling recycling materials and was not moving at the time of the derailment, assistant town manager Carly Antonellis said. No one was hurt, she said. Norfolk Southern was the rail operator at the center of a fiery derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in early February in which abut 50 cars derailed, spilling hazardous materials and forcing evacuations of area residents. The Ayer Fire Department said it was working with the railroad as well as local police and public works to clear the area. People were advised to avoid the site of the derailment. There was no word on a cause. Ayer is about 30 miles northwest of Boston. Voice and email messages were left with Norfolk Southern. ___ This story has been corrected to spell the Ayer assistant town manager’s first name as Carly, not Carley. 12-11
