Freight train derailment raises hazmat concerns in Lawrence

By James Vaznis, Globe Staff

A freight train derailed in a Lawrence rail yard today, causing hazardous material to leak and an evacuation of the area.

At about 4:45 p.m., a train with 49 freight cars was departing from a rail yard off Andover Street, near a residential neighborhood, when a broken switch point caused the derailment of the last two cars -- an empty box car and a hopper car filled with sodium chlorate, said Cynthia Scarano, a spokeswoman for Pan Am Railways, which owns the yard.

The runaway hopper car, which carries bulk materials, struck a freight car on another track, creating an 8-by-10-foot hole in the hopper car. The hopper car continued moving, leaving behind an approximately 2,300-foot trail of sodium chlorate, a white grainy substance used to make paper and fertilizer.

No one was injured, although several homes were evacuated.

Hazardous waste specialists cleaned up the material throughout the night. The material can become flammable after it is mixed with water and then dries, Scarano said, but clean up crews were not anticipating any problems. The state Department of Environmental Protection sent an emergency response person to the scene.

The accident caused a disruption in commuter rail service on the Haverhill line, forcing passengers to take a bus for a portion of the trip. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials are trying to determine whether the accident will effect the morning train schedule.

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