AUGUSTA, Maine — The April 2023 derailment of a CPKC train in rural Maine, which led to injuries to three crew members and a fire, was caused by a washout resulting from a beaver dam, a state agency has been told.
The April 15, 2023, incident occurred when the train was traveling at about 35 mph and derailed three locomotives and nine cars [see “Fire chief calls it ‘a miracle’ …,” Trains News Wire, April 17, 2023]. The derailed cars were carrying lumber and wire but the train’s consist included some hazardous materials. The railroad was eventually cited by state agencies for violation of anti-pollution rules because of damage to streams during the derailment cleanup, as well as a spill of 500 gallons of fuel [see “Maine agencies inform CPKC …,” News Wire, May 1, 2023].
The Bangor Daily News reports that the Maine Land Use Planning Commission was told during a meeting on Feb. 12, 2025, that part of a beaver dam had let go. That sent a “vast amount of water” through culverts under the rail line, leading to a washout, according to Audie Arbo, the commission’s permitting and compliance manager.
Arbo said new culverts were installed, the Moose River stream bed was restored, and the culverts were graded to allow fish to travel through. All roads and waterways met state standards during a review in November, and the state informed CPKC the incident had been resolved in a Dec. 23, 2024, letter.
So is Maine going to return the fine b/c the railroad had no culpability?