ORONO, Maine — The cause of a weekend train derailment in Orono remains under investigation as recovery crews work to clear the site near a local golf course.
On Saturday, 13 of the 32 cars on a CSX train went off the tracks. By Monday, a company spokesperson confirmed that only six cars remained to be removed, with expectations that the entire area would be cleared by Monday night.
Venting Pressure and Environmental Response
Due to the positioning of one derailed tank car that slid down an embankment, a CSX employee on-site noted that crews had to vent carbon dioxide (CO2) to relieve pressure built up from the fall.
An environmental crew was brought in to assess potential ecological damage, while a specialized heavy machinery crane team from Maryland was dispatched to assist in up righting and removing the heavy cars.
Impact on Penobscot Valley Golf Club
The derailment occurred just off the back side of the Penobscot Valley Golf Club. Mark Hall, the club’s golf professional, shared that officials initially considered accessing the derailment site through the course.
“They thought they might have to access via the golf course and said they would pay for any damage that they caused, but I guess it’s far enough down that they did it a different way,” Hall said. “Well, you never know what chemicals or what’s going on. I went down, and I could see some cars that hadn’t tipped over or nothing, so I could see that it was only a couple that became derailed. It wasn’t the whole thing.”
Next Steps and Track Restoration
CSX officials stated that once the final cars are cleared, track repairs will begin immediately. Crews are targeting track restoration for later this week.
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