In light of the recent East Palestine, Ohio train disaster, I am writing to express my concern about the freight trains in the Waterville/Winslow area.

In an effort to be proactive rather than reactive, there are many questions that need to be asked and answered by the railroad and freight companies who operate and own the tracks and trains that travel around the Waterville/Winslow area. We should all be concerned that an ecological nightmare from a potential chemical spill of thousands of gallons of toxic and flammable chemicals could happen here, especially in close proximity to the Kennebec River.

The residents of East Palestine stated that they did not know that freight trains as long as 150 cars were passing through their town with 115,000 gallons of highly toxic chemicals onboard. Questions about heat sensors in place on those tracks as well as maintenance records for the tracks and freight cars themselves should be made known before they reach a town.

There are also questions as to what hazardous materials are being transported, and if it should be disclosed or even marked on the cars, if not already. Is there an online site that can be viewed for determining what is being transported on the rails through our towns?

The NTSB disclosed that the fire and derailment in Ohio was entirely preventable. The residents there now face years of clean up, probable health risks and potential severe devaluation of their properties. Can this scenario be prevented from happening again, possibly here in Maine or will the freight railroad industry continue to jeopardize rural America in lieu of their billions of dollars in profit?

Marianne Colanduno

Winslow

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