Propane tanker re-railed in Maspeth

An overturned tanker carrying 27,000 gallons of propane that derailed at a Maspeth rail yard was returned to its tracks on Wednesday, January 17 and is in the process of being repaired, according to the City’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM).
“The situation is stabilized,” said OEM spokesperson Jarrod Bernstein, stating that the tanker, part of a 10-car freight train, had been re-railed at approximately 2 a.m.
According to Bernstein, while the wheels on one side of the tanker need repairing, there is no indication that the tanker lost any propane during the accident, which took place at approximately 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 16.
The derailment occurred at a rail yard owned by New York & Atlantic Railway near Metropolitan Avenue and 62nd Street in Middle Village. Calls to the company, an affiliate of the transportation development and consulting firm Anacostia & Pacific, for comment were not returned as The Courier went to press.
Approximately 200 people were evacuated and many businesses were forced to close following the accident and all have been allowed to return, Bernstein said.
Published reports have speculated as to the cause of the accident. One theory is that the train operator backed too far into the train yard, causing the tanker to jump off the track. Another theory is that the tanker hit a freight car carrying debris.
The Federal Railroad Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation, will investigate the accident, said DeDe Cordell, a spokesperson there.
Cordell declined to discuss any preliminary findings into the cause of the derailment and said that the agency had a least two investigators at the scene. She estimated that it will be at least two months before the agency releases its final report.