WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Train Derailment Impacts Fuel Supply

Train Derailment Impacts Fuel Supply

Burlington, Vermont - October 23, 2007

More than 200,000 gallons of gasoline was on the train the train that derailed in Middlebury this week, and all of it was headed to a storage terminal in Burlington. An official at Global Companies, which owns the terminal that the gasoline was headed to, ways it's premature to say whether the Burlington area will experience a shortage of gasoline. Company vice-president Ed Faneuil says it all depends on how soon the wreck can be cleaned up and how much damage was done to the rail cars. In the meantime, he says Vermont Railway is looking at an alternative rail route through Bellow Falls to get gas to Burlington.

Gasoline distributing companies like Champlain Oil are also temporarily transporting more gasoline to Burlington by truck. Champlain Oil spokesperson Bob Stone says, ""I don't think you're going to notice a shortage at all because we're making changes to the way we dispatch our trucks. It's basically just going to take three more trips down to Albany to get the same product and we're not going to let the stations run out." Stone also says consumers shouldn't see a spike in gas prices because of the train derailment.

Shell and Exxon-Mobil are the two gas stations most affected. That's because they're the two large companies that rely on the Global terminal. Anywhere from 200,000 to 400,000 gallons of gas is delivered to the terminal every week, servicing more than 50 stations in the Burlington area.

Keagan Harsha - WCAX News