Train rails that once ran under World Trade Center now stand upright in Swansea

SWANSEA, Mass. (WLNE)- A crowd of neighbors, law enforcement, firefighters, and local leaders. gathered outside of Fire Department Headquarters Saturday on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, as the town’s new memorial was unveiled.

About 11-feet into the sky, now stands two steel rails which once ran under the World Trade Center.  

Town officials say, this memorial is different than most.

The rails aren’t just part of the building, but were part of New York’s train system which connected hundreds of thousands of people.

— DOMINIQUE TURNER (@DomTurnerABC6) September 11, 2021

The memorial honored those first responders who risked their lives to save others.

“These artifacts are a piece of history of that day but they also serve as a reminder of the brave men and women who ran towards those buildings while others ran away,” Swansea Police Chief Marc Haslam said to the crowd Saturday.

The memorial honors victims of the Pentagon and Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Swansea firefighters, retired and active, worked tirelessly to get the rails to the town. They were eventually donated by New Jersey’s Port Authority.

“It still hasn’t really hit me yet,” said Josh Coroa, a former Swansea firefighter and landscape architect who helped create the memorial.

“It’s kind of breathtaking to see it all come together.”