The rail line through Lewiston and Auburn is one of three routes regularly used by Pan Am Railways to move crude. Last year, when it became clear that rail companies were preparing to ship crude oil through Maine, state officials started reviewing spill response strategies, according to a report in the Bangor Daily News.

Pan Am moved its first shipment of crude through Maine in May 2012, bound for an Irving Oil refinery in St. John, New Brunswick. The oil being shipped originated from wells in North Dakota, as the railway shifted its focus from coal to oil, according to the BDN.

On Wednesday, Auburn Fire Chief Frank Roma said crude was “one of many types of hazardous substances that come into our city via road and rail,” and that “in terms of toxicity and danger, crude oil is low on the list compared to other items that are transported.”

That doesn’t mean the Fire Department is minimizing any risk, Roma said, but “all of the materials that are transported by rail or over road have to meet very strict federal guidelines,” including the design of shipping containers.

Roma said he understands the public’s worry about oil shipments, particularly in the aftermath of the deadly accident in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Canada, last month.

“People have looked at the event in Canada and asked, ‘Could it happen here?’” and that’s a fair question, he said. Pointing out that Auburn does not have the kind of hilly landscape as Lac-Megantic where trains may be stopped, Roma said, “I’d like to think we have enough safeguards in our rail system” that a similar situation wouldn’t happen here.

Pan Am is not required to alert the Auburn or Lewiston fire departments about the contents of the cargo it is moving, according to Roma and Lewiston Assistant Chief Bruce McKay, but in the case of an incident or accident, the conductor carries a record of all materials on board, recorded by freight car number.

In addition, each freight car carrying hazardous materials has a placard posted on it identifying what that material is.

Last year, according to a report in the Portland Phoenix, Pan Am shipped 2.3 million barrels of crude oil through Maine. In the first three months of 2013, the company shipped 1.1 million barrels of crude. Last month, state officials launched an investigation after the railway missed two deadlines for reporting how much crude oil it shipped through Maine in April and May, according to the Phoenix.

Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railways had been moving crude but stopped early this month when the company filed for bankruptcy stemming from losses after the Lac-Megantic incident.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, there were 23 rail accidents in Maine last year, none of which were in Androscoggin County. Three of the accidents were the result of defective or missing cross ties, two resulted from the failure of a railway employee to secure engines; others resulted from improper use of brakes, buckled tracks, broken joint bars and worn switch points, among other things.

More coverage: Auburn police arrest 3 oil train protestors

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