"Despite Rise in Spills, Hazardous Cargo Rides Rails in Secret"

"Jodi Ross, town manager in Westford, Mass., did not expect she would be threatened with arrest after she and her fire chief went onto the railroad tracks to find out why a train carrying liquid petroleum gas derailed on a bridge in February. But as they reached the accident site northwest of Boston, a manager for Pan Am Railways called the police, claiming she was trespassing on rail property. The cars were eventually put back on the tracks safely, but the incident underlined a reality for local officials dealing with railroads.

'They don’t have to tell us a thing,' Ms. Ross said. 'It’s a very arrogant attitude.' "

Jad Mouawad reports for the New York Times April 15, 2014.