Back


Woodbridge News

Print this Page

March 5, 2004

In the wake of last month's freight train derailment in the Sewaren section of Woodbridge, Mayor Frank G. Pelzman asked Conrail for prompt and meaningful action, and he got it. On Feb. 13, two days after the derailment, Conrail representatives had met with the Mayor at Woodbridge Town Hall to explain what had caused the accident and to discuss ideas for preventing future accidents. Woodbridge Township Councilman Vincent Martino, Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) were also at the meeting along with several local and state emergency management officials. On Mar. 1, Conrail representatives met with Mayor Pelzman, Councilman Martino and Assemblyman Wisniewski at Assemblyman Wisniewski's office to deliver their report and recommended course of action. The following day Conrail Assistant Vice President/Chief Engineer T.C. Tierney announced that Conrail had installed a new electric/mechanical locking mechanism on the switch at the north end of the siding at Sewaren yard. The mechanism is designed to restrict the manual operation of the main track switch until the derail on the sidetrack has been thrown into the non-derailing position. "The accident occurred when a Conrail employee did not remove the derail, a metal safety device used to prevent trains from running down the main track," said Tierney. "This new mechanism means the cars cannot come onto the main track until the derail has been removed." On Feb. 11 two tanker cars containing 28,000 gallons of ethanol bound for the Motiva terminal on State Street in Sewaren struck the derail blocking their way onto the track and fell over. Tierney said he believes this new locking mechanism will prevent a future accident of this kind. Mayor Pelzman said he was pleased with Conrail's quick response. "We are also hoping Conrail track employees will receive additional re-education on safety rules," said the Mayor. "The Conrail depot is an important part of our Township's commercial landscape," said Councilman Martino. "It is crucial that residents have confidence in its safe operation." Mayor Pelzman noted that everyone involved, from fire, police and EMS responders to Conrail track employees and officials, cooperated wonderfully to maintain safety in the accident aftermath. "But we needed a concrete solution to prevent future occurrences, and we believe this new locking mechanism is a step in the right direction."