Southern ME residents concerned abt hazmat trains on sidings

In the wake of the Lac-Mégantic disaster, complaints are coming in from residents who live near Pan Am sidings, in regards to hazmat trains that are sometimes parked for several days at a time.

From The Portland Press Herald:

The Portland Press Herald wrote:. . .some residents say the recent train derailment in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, has them wondering how safe it is to store freight and tanker cars -- some carrying propane, oil or natural gas -- near densely populated neighborhoods and within feet of passing passenger trains.
. . .
Railroad and state officials say the practice of storing freight cars on sidings such as the one in Scarborough is routine in the business, and safe.
. . .
A Pan Am Railways tanker car derailed at the Rigby Yard on March 2 because of a broken link between trains. The car damaged five other cars, some of which were carrying liquid propane gas, but none of the contents spilled, according to the Federal Railroad Administration report on the accident.
. . .
Town Manager Tom Hall said he hears more complaints about train whistles than about the risk of accidents, but he recognizes why some residents are concerned about the practice of storing cars on the siding.

"I think what's maddening to the residents is there's a full Rigby Yard four or five miles down the track. There may be a more appropriate place for them to store their cars," he said.
. . .
Cynthia Scarano, executive vice president of Pan Am Railways, said the rail company avoids storing train cars on the siding for more than a day or two at a time, and that the trains are secured and not left idling. "We've tried to alleviate as much nuisance as we can," she said.

Read more at: http://www.pressherald.com/news/rail-ca ... 07-24.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm sorry, this has gotten ridiculous. I am all for improving rail safety, and I think a lot needs to be done - but if these people are concerned about what's on the tracks, they should not live there - plain and simple.

Those cars being stored are empty. Bet they never even asked the railroad that.

Recent tragedy in Quebec not withstanding, all I see all over the country is the railroads giving, giving, and bending to suit people. In some respects, they should try to be good neighbors. I do think leaving locos running for days near people's houses is ridiculous, and after enough complaints they try not to do this, or move the power, or leave the train away from houses.

It's when people start to get in the way of interstate commerce (and common sense) is when my blood boils.

Anyone that builds or buys next to a set of railroad tracks should realize about the potential noise or know what passes through there. It would be like building beside a river and expecting the water level to never change. Or building a house beside a fire station and then complaining about sirens in the middle of the night. You just can't fix stupid.