Many towns are unprepared to handle train derailments and hazmat spills

Many towns are unprepared to handle train derailments and hazmat spills

Train derailments involving spills of 1,000 gallons or more of hazardous materials happen a few times a year, often resulting in evacuations or fires

This image provided by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism shows a train carrying tank cars, some containing hazardous materials, traveling across a railroad bridge in Paulsboro, N.J., on March 20, 2025, that was the site of a derailment and spill of toxic vinyl chloride in 2012. (Alaysia Ezzard/Howard Center for Investigative Journalism via AP)