PORTLAND, Maine – The Federal Railroad Administration’s top official says he’s “shocked” a Maine-based rail company is still using one-person crews following a deadly train disaster in Canada.
Canada’s government already ordered Montreal, Maine & Atlantic to use at least two crew members for trains operating there. But FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo says the company has continued to use one-person crews in Maine.
The Portland Press Herald newspaper says he told the railroad the safety procedures used in Canada should be used in Maine.
The company filed for bankruptcy after an unattended train with 72 tankers of crude oil crashed into Lac-Megantic , Quebec, killing 47 people and destroying dozens of buildings in the heart of town. The company has blamed the train’s operator for failing to set enough hand brakes.
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