Railway cars in Amherstburg leads to questions from local resident

There are over 50 railway tanker cars still stored in Amherstburg behind the old General Chemical property. The gate to this parking lot has been brought down, leaving these tanker cars exposed. Every time I pass this site I wonder: Are they completely sealed? Are they vented so the gases cannot expand and compress? Are they completely empty and dry? Are they maintained appropriately? The General Chemical plant has been torn down. It is no longer, and has been for some 7-8 years now. Why are these train cars still stored in Amherstburg? Are we in any risk?

We saw over the past month or so, the devastation caused by a couple of train derailments in Ohio. We don’t want this type of disaster in our backyard.

I’m told the railways are under federal jurisdiction, so I sent a letter to Chris Lewis, the MP for the area. It’s been 3 weeks and I have not yet heard back from him or anyone in his office.

“Dear Mr. Lewis,

The other day I was driving down Thomas Rd. here in Amherstburg, behind the old chemical plant, and saw 25 - 30 black ‘tanker’ railway cars, the kind used for liquids, parked there on the tracks. I wondered what they were doing there since the chemical plant has been closed for many years. Are they abandoned? Stored there for convenience? Are they completely empty? Have they been ventitated on a regular basis? The more important question is: Do they pose any sort of danger to the Town and/or environment?

These types of railway cars no longer have a place in Amherstburg. I’m told the storage of these railway cars is federally regulated. I would like the railway involved, the owners of these chemical cars, to store the them somewhere else.

My best regards,

—Roger Renaud Amherstburg

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