Acting Administrator Sarah Feinberg announced this morning that broken rail was the cause of a CSX Transportation/Plains All American crude-oil train derailment in West Virginia earlier this year.
Advertisement
An estimated 15 to 30 trains each carrying at least 1 million gallons of Bakken crude oil from the north-central United States pass within feet of thousands of homes, businesses and schools in Northvale, Norwood, Harrington Park, Closter, Haworth, Dumont, Bergenfield, Teaneck, Bogota, Ridgefield Park and Ridgefield on their way to a Philadelphia refinery.
The flaws in the track were missed during inspections in December 2014 and January 2015, federal investigators found. While data from the inspections revealed the defect, neither CSX Corp. nor its contractor, Sperry Rail Service, discovered the problem, investigators said.
To view the full article, register now. A $25,000 fines were issued against both companies.
“Broken rail is one of the leading causes of accidents”, Feinberg said.
“In collaboration with the Federal Railroad Administration, CSX is developing additional inspection processes that will enhance our ability to quickly and accurately identify rail flaws using tools provided by Sperry Rail Services, the industry’s leading supplier of rail-flaw detection capabilities”. “FRA’s findings and action today should make it clear to rail operators that we will do exactly that”.
The derailment shot fireballs into the sky, burned down a nearby house and caused fires on the ground that smoldered for days.
In an emailed statement Friday, CSX said it was committed to safety. No one else in the area was hurt.
In addition to releasing the accident report, Ms. Feinberg announced the agency will urge closer and more detailed inspections where defects and flaws are suspected and better training for rail inspectors.
According to the agency’s report, 24 of the 27 derailed tank cars sustained significant damage that released oil, fueling fires and explosions even in single-digit temperatures. It wasn’t just oil burning says Craig Camuso with CSX.
Advertisement
Under a March consent order with the EPA, the railroad agreed to a long-term plan for cleaning up and restoring the area around the derailment.
