Route 11 reopens after train derails near Ashland

1 month ago

This story has been updated.

ASHLAND, Maine — Route 11 is open to traffic following a train derailment.

A train derailed Tuesday afternoon across Route 11 in Ashland, according to the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office. 

Travelers were advised to seek alternate routes, and law enforcement expected the road to be blocked for several hours, according to a Sheriff’s Office social media post. 

Law enforcement directing traffic at the intersection of Main Street/Sheridan Road and Route 11 said the incident occurred near Sheridan, a small area about a mile outside Ashland. 

Route 11 was open to traffic at around 3 p.m.  

At the railroad intersection on Sheridan Road, upright railcars could be seen on both sides of the track that crosses the road. No tipped cars were visible. Several vehicles were parked and railway crews gathered around the railcars nearest the road. 

Personnel said they could not speak to the Bangor Daily News.

Attempts to reach officials at New Brunswick Maine Railways in St. John, New Brunswick, which owns Maine Northern Railway, were not immediately successful.

The cause of the derailment and whether anyone was injured are unknown.