Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Oil Train Safety Megathread. Updated December 23, 2024
Last edited Mon Dec 23, 2024, 09:35 AM - Edit history (95)
I'll be storing links to news articles, industry developments, regulatory agencies, and so forth here. Also look for threads or replies at DU with these titles.
Full disclosure: I own shares of rail stocks. I am posting solely to help people find information and not out of any financial interest.
Previous updates: July 30, 2023; October 18, 2021; April 30, 2021; February 25, 2021; March 24, 2020; August 14, 2019; April 9, 2019; March 26, 2019; February 15, 2019; September 24, 2018; November 11, 2017; July 5, 2017.
BNSF, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Warren Buffett, NS, Norfolk Southern, CSX, CN, Canadian National, CP, Canadian Pacific, Bakken, Shale, derail, derailed, derailment, DOT-111, CPC-1232, tank car, tankcar, railroad, train, FRA, Federal Railroad Administration, Transport Canada, Minister of Transport, NTSB, National Transportation Safety Board, PHMSA, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Department of Transportation, DOT, oil by rail, crude by rail, CBR, oil train safety, Ted Mann, megathread, electronically controlled pneumatic brakes, ECP, National Energy Board, NEB.
Google News for "rail safety"
Google News for "railroad safety"
[font color="red"]Added, 02-11-2016:[/font] I'd prefer not to link to a partisan website, but this one does link to more articles in newspapers and trade journals than I can keep up with:
The DOT-111 Reader, Rail News
-- -- -- -- -- --
WAMU = WAMU radio, at American University, Washington, DC
G&M = (Toronto) Globe and Mail
TWSJ. or WSJ. = The Wall Street Journal.
NYT = New York Times
PR = Progressive Railroading
VC = Vancouver, Washington, Columbian
RA = Railway Age
TO = Trainorders
ColDisp = Colmubus, Ohio, Dispatch
NJ = New Jersey.com
DU = Democratic Underground
Vox = Vox Media
WaPo = Washington Post
DOE = Department of Energy
Inforum = Fargo ND - Moorhead MN Forum
APNewsBreak: Railroad in fiery derailment agrees to changes, DU, December 23, 2016
APNewsBreak: Railroad in fiery derailment agrees to changes, Associated Press via Seattle Times, December 23, 2016
Railroad involved in fiery Columbia River Gorge derailment agrees to changes, Billings Gazette, December 23, 2016
Tank Car Maker Controlled by Carl Icahn Suing Railroad Regulators, DU, December 23, 2016
Tank Car Maker Controlled by Carl Icahn Suing Railroad Regulators, TWSJ., December 22, 2016
New Directive Targets Crude-by-Rail Safety, FRA press release, September 29, 2016
2 ND rail inspectors receive certification from the Federal Railroad Administration, KFYR-TV, Bismarck, ND, September 21, 2016
Crude-by-rail volumes to the East Coast are declining, DU, August 4, 2016
Crude-by-rail volumes to the East Coast are declining, Energy Information Administration (EIA), August 3, 2016
Oil-by-rail safety concerns likely to reignite after Oregon derailment, Reuters, via Inforum, June 6, 2016
Oil train derails, catches fire near Hood River, VC, June 3, 2016
Oil train derails near Mosier in Columbia River Gorge, DU, June 3, 2016
Oil train derails near Mosier in Columbia River Gorge, Oregonian, June 3, 2016
NTSB report: Broken rail likely caused 2014 Lynchburg train derailment, Lynchburg {Virginia} News & Advance, March 2, 2016
Washington {state} transportation commission adopts CBR safety rules, PR, February 11, 2016
Maine rail cargo secrecy law bypassed public access, safety defenses, DU, February 10, 2016
Maine rail cargo secrecy law bypassed public access, safety defenses, Bangor Daily News, February 10, 2016
Crude by rail down, but officials still bracing for danger on tracks, Lynchburg {Virginia} News & Advance, January 12, 2016
Still no final report 2 years after fiery Casselton oil crash, Grand Forks {North Dakota} Herald, December 29, 2015
First responders often unprepared for derailments, Columbus {Ohio} Dispatch, December 22, 2015
Oil trains raise alarm for Denver residents in growing neighborhoods, Denver Post, December 2, 2015 (print edition. Posted online December 1, 2015)
Oil train safety concerns cast shadow over cross-border rail deal, Kansas City Star, November 30, 2015. By Curtis Tate, ctate@mcclatchydc.com
Rail safety fight rolls into election politics, DU, November 24, 2015
Rail safety fight rolls into election politics, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, November 23, 2015. This is not about rail safety per se, but how elected and regulatory officials in MN are approaching the subject.
Oil trains pose risks to aging bridges, report finds, Albany Times-Union, November 10, 2015
Report questions safety of rusting, crumbling railroad bridges, WaPo, November 10, 2015
DEADLY CROSSING: Neglected Bridges & Exploding Oil Trains, report released by Waterkeeper Alliance, ForestEthics, Riverkeeper and a national network of Waterkeeper organizations, November 10, 2015
Buffett's BNSF helped lead fight to delay train safety technology, DU, November 4, 2015
Buffett's BNSF helped lead fight to delay train safety technology, Reuters, November 4, 2015
Audit finds railroad safety lacking during high oil traffic, DU, October 30, 2015
Audit finds railroad safety lacking during high oil traffic, Helena Independent Record and Associated Press, October 29, 2015
Officials: Broken rail missed on 2 inspections caused fiery West Va. train derailment, DU, October 9, 2015
Officials: Broken rail missed on 2 inspections caused fiery West Va. train derailment, Associated Press via Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 9, 2015
Feds say broken rail caused Fayette County train derailment, West Virginia Gazette-Mail, October 9, 2015
Sandia Releases Survey of Crude Oil Properties Relevant to Handling and Fire Safety in Transport, DU, March 31, 2015
Sandia National Laboratories Releases Literature Survey of Crude Oil Properties Relevant to Handling and Fire Safety in Transport, DOE, March 24, 2015
Literature Survey of Crude Oil Properties Relevant to Handling and Fire Safety in Transport (website), Sandia National Laboratories, March 24, 2015
Literature Survey of Crude Oil Properties Relevant to Handling and Fire Safety in Transport (download), Sandia National Laboratories, March 24, 2015
19 U.S. senators call for more federal money for oil-by-rail safety measures, DU, March 25, 2015
19 U.S. senators call for more federal money for oil-by-rail safety measures, Lynchburg, VA, News & Advance, March 24, 2015
Union Pacific request to haul liquefied natural gas draws criticism, DU, March 19, 2015. Granted, it's LNG and not crude oil, but it's hazardous material in tankcars.
Union Pacific request to haul liquefied natural gas draws criticism, Omaha World-Herald, March 19, 2015
After a spate of train wrecks, Congress takes a new view of federal rail agency, DU, March 15, 2015
After a spate of train wrecks, Congress takes a new view of federal rail agency, WaPo, March 16, 2015 (this went online Sunday afternoon, March 15, but it was in Monday's paper)
Explosive concern: Trains carry oil across the Valley, WKBN, March 12, 2015. Hat tip, TO, March 12, 2015:
Oil Train Preparedness Story in Youngstown News
Dangerous Trains, Aging Rails, DU, March 12, 2015
Dangerous Trains, Aging Rails, Opinion piece submitted by a contributor to the NYT, March 12, 2015
Canada to Propose Tougher Oil Tank Car Standards, DU, March 12, 2015
Canada to Propose Tougher Oil Tank Car Standards, NYT, March 11, 2015
Another Train Derailment Raises New Concerns About The Safety Of Transporting Crude Oil, DU, March 11, 2015
Another Train Derailment Raises New Concerns About The Safety Of Transporting Crude Oil, WAMU, March 9, 2015
BNSF oil train derailment pictures, DU, March 10, 2015
BNSF oil train derailment pictures, TO, March 10, 2015
Ontario calls on feds to ramp up rail safety after recent derailments, Sudbury Star (Ontario), March 9, 2015
Train derails in Northern Ontario, heightening safety fears, DU, March 9, 2015
Train derails in Northern Ontario, heightening safety fears, G&M, March 8 and 9, 2015
CN says crude oil train derailed in Ontario, fire reported, Sudbury Star (Ontario), via Reuters, March 7, 2015
Wrecks Hit Tougher Oil Railcars, DU, March 9, 2015
CPC-1232s, oil tankers rupture in recent wrecks, TO, March 9, 2015
Wrecks Hit Tougher Oil Railcars, WSJ., March 8, 2015
A Third Blast on Oil Trains Stirs Scrutiny, DU, March 8, 2015
A Third Blast on Oil Trains Stirs Scrutiny, NYT, March 6, 2015
White House deferred to N. Dakota on oil train safety, DU, March 6, 2015
White House deferred to N. Dakota on oil train safety, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 6, 2015
West Virginia Derailment Raises Concerns About Volatility Of Bakken Oil, National Public Radio, March 4, 2015
New bills seek to strengthen crude-by-rail safety, extend short-line tax credit, DU, March 4, 2015
New bills seek to strengthen crude-by-rail safety, extend short-line tax credit, PR, March 4, 2015
Vancouver, Washington, extends moratorium on crude oil facilities, DU, March 3,2015
Vancouver extends moratorium on crude oil facilities, VC, March 2,2015
Oil train mishaps reveal tank car strengths and limitations, DU, February 27, 2015
Oil train mishaps reveal tank car strengths and limitations, RA, February 16, 2015
New Canadian legislation aims to bolster rail safety, strengthen oversight, DU, February 23, 2015
New Canadian legislation aims to bolster rail safety, strengthen oversight, PR, February 23, 2015
CSX oil train derailment, Trains magazine discussion about the derailment in West Virginia, started February 16, 2015
Oil trains quietly rerouted after W.Va. derailment, DU, February 23, 2015
Detoured CSX Oil Train (NS 071), TO, February 17, 2015
CSX reroutes to follow old Virginian Line, TO, February 22, 2015
Oil trains quietly rerouted after W.Va. derailment, ColDisp, February 21, 2015
W. Va. oil train explosion has N.J. raising concerns over rail safety, DU, February 19, 2015
CSX oil train derailment in West Virginia on February 16, 2015, DU, February 19, 2015. Consists of links to other articles.
New Jersey article on oil trains, TO, February 19, 2015
W. Va. oil train explosion has N.J. raising concerns over rail safety, NJ, February 19, 2015
Another oil train explodes in West Virginia. Here's why this keeps happening., Vox, February 17, 2015
DeFazio requests USDOT action on tank-car safety, DU, January 26, 2015
DeFazio requests USDOT action on tank-car safety; Kind and Baldwin seek environmental review of BNSF track project, PR, January 26, 2015
Oil Trains Hide in Plain Sight, DU, January 20, 2015
Oil Trains Hide in Plain Sight, WSJ., December 3, 2014
Federal Railroad Administration Issues Final Rule to Improve Rail Flaw Detection, Bloomberg BNA Occupational Safety and Health Reporter, January 24, 2014
APNewsBreak: Railroad in fiery derailment agrees to changes, Associated Press via Seattle Times, December 23, 2016
Railroad involved in fiery Columbia River Gorge derailment agrees to changes, Billings Gazette, December 23, 2016
Tank Car Maker Controlled by Carl Icahn Suing Railroad Regulators, DU, December 23, 2016
Tank Car Maker Controlled by Carl Icahn Suing Railroad Regulators, TWSJ., December 22, 2016
New Directive Targets Crude-by-Rail Safety, FRA press release, September 29, 2016
2 ND rail inspectors receive certification from the Federal Railroad Administration, KFYR-TV, Bismarck, ND, September 21, 2016
Crude-by-rail volumes to the East Coast are declining, DU, August 4, 2016
Crude-by-rail volumes to the East Coast are declining, Energy Information Administration (EIA), August 3, 2016
Oil-by-rail safety concerns likely to reignite after Oregon derailment, Reuters, via Inforum, June 6, 2016
Oil train derails, catches fire near Hood River, VC, June 3, 2016
Oil train derails near Mosier in Columbia River Gorge, DU, June 3, 2016
Oil train derails near Mosier in Columbia River Gorge, Oregonian, June 3, 2016
NTSB report: Broken rail likely caused 2014 Lynchburg train derailment, Lynchburg {Virginia} News & Advance, March 2, 2016
Washington {state} transportation commission adopts CBR safety rules, PR, February 11, 2016
Maine rail cargo secrecy law bypassed public access, safety defenses, DU, February 10, 2016
Maine rail cargo secrecy law bypassed public access, safety defenses, Bangor Daily News, February 10, 2016
Crude by rail down, but officials still bracing for danger on tracks, Lynchburg {Virginia} News & Advance, January 12, 2016
Still no final report 2 years after fiery Casselton oil crash, Grand Forks {North Dakota} Herald, December 29, 2015
First responders often unprepared for derailments, Columbus {Ohio} Dispatch, December 22, 2015
Oil trains raise alarm for Denver residents in growing neighborhoods, Denver Post, December 2, 2015 (print edition. Posted online December 1, 2015)
Oil train safety concerns cast shadow over cross-border rail deal, Kansas City Star, November 30, 2015. By Curtis Tate, ctate@mcclatchydc.com
Rail safety fight rolls into election politics, DU, November 24, 2015
Rail safety fight rolls into election politics, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, November 23, 2015. This is not about rail safety per se, but how elected and regulatory officials in MN are approaching the subject.
Oil trains pose risks to aging bridges, report finds, Albany Times-Union, November 10, 2015
Report questions safety of rusting, crumbling railroad bridges, WaPo, November 10, 2015
DEADLY CROSSING: Neglected Bridges & Exploding Oil Trains, report released by Waterkeeper Alliance, ForestEthics, Riverkeeper and a national network of Waterkeeper organizations, November 10, 2015
Buffett's BNSF helped lead fight to delay train safety technology, DU, November 4, 2015
Buffett's BNSF helped lead fight to delay train safety technology, Reuters, November 4, 2015
Audit finds railroad safety lacking during high oil traffic, DU, October 30, 2015
Audit finds railroad safety lacking during high oil traffic, Helena Independent Record and Associated Press, October 29, 2015
Officials: Broken rail missed on 2 inspections caused fiery West Va. train derailment, DU, October 9, 2015
Officials: Broken rail missed on 2 inspections caused fiery West Va. train derailment, Associated Press via Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 9, 2015
Feds say broken rail caused Fayette County train derailment, West Virginia Gazette-Mail, October 9, 2015
Sandia Releases Survey of Crude Oil Properties Relevant to Handling and Fire Safety in Transport, DU, March 31, 2015
Sandia National Laboratories Releases Literature Survey of Crude Oil Properties Relevant to Handling and Fire Safety in Transport, DOE, March 24, 2015
Literature Survey of Crude Oil Properties Relevant to Handling and Fire Safety in Transport (website), Sandia National Laboratories, March 24, 2015
Literature Survey of Crude Oil Properties Relevant to Handling and Fire Safety in Transport (download), Sandia National Laboratories, March 24, 2015
19 U.S. senators call for more federal money for oil-by-rail safety measures, DU, March 25, 2015
19 U.S. senators call for more federal money for oil-by-rail safety measures, Lynchburg, VA, News & Advance, March 24, 2015
Union Pacific request to haul liquefied natural gas draws criticism, DU, March 19, 2015. Granted, it's LNG and not crude oil, but it's hazardous material in tankcars.
Union Pacific request to haul liquefied natural gas draws criticism, Omaha World-Herald, March 19, 2015
After a spate of train wrecks, Congress takes a new view of federal rail agency, DU, March 15, 2015
After a spate of train wrecks, Congress takes a new view of federal rail agency, WaPo, March 16, 2015 (this went online Sunday afternoon, March 15, but it was in Monday's paper)
Explosive concern: Trains carry oil across the Valley, WKBN, March 12, 2015. Hat tip, TO, March 12, 2015:
Oil Train Preparedness Story in Youngstown News
Dangerous Trains, Aging Rails, DU, March 12, 2015
Dangerous Trains, Aging Rails, Opinion piece submitted by a contributor to the NYT, March 12, 2015
Canada to Propose Tougher Oil Tank Car Standards, DU, March 12, 2015
Canada to Propose Tougher Oil Tank Car Standards, NYT, March 11, 2015
Another Train Derailment Raises New Concerns About The Safety Of Transporting Crude Oil, DU, March 11, 2015
Another Train Derailment Raises New Concerns About The Safety Of Transporting Crude Oil, WAMU, March 9, 2015
BNSF oil train derailment pictures, DU, March 10, 2015
BNSF oil train derailment pictures, TO, March 10, 2015
Ontario calls on feds to ramp up rail safety after recent derailments, Sudbury Star (Ontario), March 9, 2015
Train derails in Northern Ontario, heightening safety fears, DU, March 9, 2015
Train derails in Northern Ontario, heightening safety fears, G&M, March 8 and 9, 2015
CN says crude oil train derailed in Ontario, fire reported, Sudbury Star (Ontario), via Reuters, March 7, 2015
Wrecks Hit Tougher Oil Railcars, DU, March 9, 2015
CPC-1232s, oil tankers rupture in recent wrecks, TO, March 9, 2015
Wrecks Hit Tougher Oil Railcars, WSJ., March 8, 2015
A Third Blast on Oil Trains Stirs Scrutiny, DU, March 8, 2015
A Third Blast on Oil Trains Stirs Scrutiny, NYT, March 6, 2015
White House deferred to N. Dakota on oil train safety, DU, March 6, 2015
White House deferred to N. Dakota on oil train safety, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 6, 2015
West Virginia Derailment Raises Concerns About Volatility Of Bakken Oil, National Public Radio, March 4, 2015
New bills seek to strengthen crude-by-rail safety, extend short-line tax credit, DU, March 4, 2015
New bills seek to strengthen crude-by-rail safety, extend short-line tax credit, PR, March 4, 2015
Vancouver, Washington, extends moratorium on crude oil facilities, DU, March 3,2015
Vancouver extends moratorium on crude oil facilities, VC, March 2,2015
Oil train mishaps reveal tank car strengths and limitations, DU, February 27, 2015
Oil train mishaps reveal tank car strengths and limitations, RA, February 16, 2015
New Canadian legislation aims to bolster rail safety, strengthen oversight, DU, February 23, 2015
New Canadian legislation aims to bolster rail safety, strengthen oversight, PR, February 23, 2015
CSX oil train derailment, Trains magazine discussion about the derailment in West Virginia, started February 16, 2015
Oil trains quietly rerouted after W.Va. derailment, DU, February 23, 2015
Detoured CSX Oil Train (NS 071), TO, February 17, 2015
CSX reroutes to follow old Virginian Line, TO, February 22, 2015
Oil trains quietly rerouted after W.Va. derailment, ColDisp, February 21, 2015
W. Va. oil train explosion has N.J. raising concerns over rail safety, DU, February 19, 2015
CSX oil train derailment in West Virginia on February 16, 2015, DU, February 19, 2015. Consists of links to other articles.
New Jersey article on oil trains, TO, February 19, 2015
W. Va. oil train explosion has N.J. raising concerns over rail safety, NJ, February 19, 2015
Another oil train explodes in West Virginia. Here's why this keeps happening., Vox, February 17, 2015
DeFazio requests USDOT action on tank-car safety, DU, January 26, 2015
DeFazio requests USDOT action on tank-car safety; Kind and Baldwin seek environmental review of BNSF track project, PR, January 26, 2015
Oil Trains Hide in Plain Sight, DU, January 20, 2015
Oil Trains Hide in Plain Sight, WSJ., December 3, 2014
Federal Railroad Administration Issues Final Rule to Improve Rail Flaw Detection, Bloomberg BNA Occupational Safety and Health Reporter, January 24, 2014
78 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Regulators Urge Railroads to Make Changes to Improve Oil-Train Safety
Safety Regulations Issued for Trains Carrying Oil
Business
Advisory on handling of defective wheels after fiery BNSF oil-train derailment in Illinois last month
By Russell Gold and Betsy Morris
Russell.Gold@wsj.com
betsy.morris@wsj.com
Updated April 17, 2015 6:25 p.m. ET
U.S. regulators are urging railroads to make dramatic operating changes, including how they deal with wheel defects, saying a wheel problem may have caused the fiery oil-train derailment in Illinois last month.
Despite multiple warning signs, a train carrying crude oil from North Dakota to Philadelphia continued to travel on a potentially faulty wheel, according to a preliminary federal investigation. ... Twenty-one cars of a BNSF Railway Co. oil train derailed near Galena, Ill., 160 miles west of Chicago. Several cars ruptured during the accident and the oil inside caught fire, generating large explosions.
On Friday, the Federal Railroad Administration issued a safety advisory pointing to a broken wheel and telling railroads to act more aggressively to fix similar defects found on other trains.
According to investigators, a trackside device flagged the oil train’s defective wheel about 130 miles before the derailment. A month before the accident, other similar devices registered a reading on this railcar’s wheel at a level that indicated there was a flat spot that made it “condemnable,” according to the safety advisory. ... Despite the reading, BNSF didn’t break any industry or federal rule. Industry guidelines suggest that the wheel be replaced the next time the tank car was sent for repairs.
In late March, BNSF began slowing down its trains that haul crude oil to 35 miles an hour in cities with over 100,000 residents, according to a letter sent to its customers. The railroad stepped up the frequency of track inspections to 2½ times the rate required by FRA regulators along certain waterways.
Advisory on handling of defective wheels after fiery BNSF oil-train derailment in Illinois last month
By Russell Gold and Betsy Morris
Russell.Gold@wsj.com
betsy.morris@wsj.com
Updated April 17, 2015 6:25 p.m. ET
U.S. regulators are urging railroads to make dramatic operating changes, including how they deal with wheel defects, saying a wheel problem may have caused the fiery oil-train derailment in Illinois last month.
Despite multiple warning signs, a train carrying crude oil from North Dakota to Philadelphia continued to travel on a potentially faulty wheel, according to a preliminary federal investigation. ... Twenty-one cars of a BNSF Railway Co. oil train derailed near Galena, Ill., 160 miles west of Chicago. Several cars ruptured during the accident and the oil inside caught fire, generating large explosions.
On Friday, the Federal Railroad Administration issued a safety advisory pointing to a broken wheel and telling railroads to act more aggressively to fix similar defects found on other trains.
According to investigators, a trackside device flagged the oil train’s defective wheel about 130 miles before the derailment. A month before the accident, other similar devices registered a reading on this railcar’s wheel at a level that indicated there was a flat spot that made it “condemnable,” according to the safety advisory. ... Despite the reading, BNSF didn’t break any industry or federal rule. Industry guidelines suggest that the wheel be replaced the next time the tank car was sent for repairs.
In late March, BNSF began slowing down its trains that haul crude oil to 35 miles an hour in cities with over 100,000 residents, according to a letter sent to its customers. The railroad stepped up the frequency of track inspections to 2½ times the rate required by FRA regulators along certain waterways.
Safety Regulations Issued for Trains Carrying Oil
By JAD MOUAWADAPRIL 17, 2015
Oil fields in North Dakota. Recent derailments involving crude oil trains have often resulted in explosions and oil spills. Credit Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Responding to public pressure to act more quickly after a series of fiery train derailments involving oil shipments, the Transportation Department on Friday issued a series of emergency orders, including a 40-mile-an-hour speed limit for hazardous materials moving through urban areas.
The emergency rules also require railroads to provide detailed information about a shipment within 90 minutes of any derailment.
Federal regulators are under increasing pressure from members of Congress and local officials to publish new safety regulations for the growing business of transporting crude oil by train. Those new rules, in the works for more than two years, were sent to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget two months ago. They are expected to be made public by May 12.
In a statement, Anthony Foxx, the transportation secretary, said that the boom in crude oil transportation “poses a serious threat to public safety.” He said the orders reflected “lessons learned from recent accidents,” adding, “we are not done yet.”
Oil fields in North Dakota. Recent derailments involving crude oil trains have often resulted in explosions and oil spills. Credit Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Responding to public pressure to act more quickly after a series of fiery train derailments involving oil shipments, the Transportation Department on Friday issued a series of emergency orders, including a 40-mile-an-hour speed limit for hazardous materials moving through urban areas.
The emergency rules also require railroads to provide detailed information about a shipment within 90 minutes of any derailment.
Federal regulators are under increasing pressure from members of Congress and local officials to publish new safety regulations for the growing business of transporting crude oil by train. Those new rules, in the works for more than two years, were sent to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget two months ago. They are expected to be made public by May 12.
In a statement, Anthony Foxx, the transportation secretary, said that the boom in crude oil transportation “poses a serious threat to public safety.” He said the orders reflected “lessons learned from recent accidents,” adding, “we are not done yet.”
BNSF seeks to speed up to 60 mph through Miles City
Note that while 60 mph might be the limit for freights in general, oil trains are subject to separate speed limits.
4 hours ago • By Tom Lutey
A Burlington Northern Santa Fe train carrying Bakken crude oil rolls past Billings.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe has a green light to speed through Miles City at up to 60 mph, and the town isn’t happy.
{Miles City mayor Butch Grenz} said he got a notice in the mail from BNSF several weeks ago that the track was classified by the Federal Railroad Administration for speeds up to 60 miles per hour. ... The mayor said he believes trains are speeding up because Berkshire Hathaway, which bought BNSF several years ago, is getting its money from the trains. Berkshire is the diversified holding company of Nebraska billionaire Warren Buffett. ... “What you’re seeing is Mr. Buffett is a better businessman than the last owners of the railroad were,” Grenz said.
In the past few years, BNSF has invested more than $100 million in its southern line across Montana, which stretches from Glendive to Laurel, where the loads are transferred to Montana Rail Link to be hauled into the Idaho Panhandle.
BNSF has installed sidings long enough for a mile-long train to leave the mainline and keep rolling while another train passes by. This year, the railroad is relocating workers from Glendive and Forsyth to Laurel as it transitions to longer runs. ... But timing is everything on a single rail line with trains traveling in both directions. Speed is part of the BNSF equation, concurred Matt Jones, BNSF spokesman for Montana.
A Burlington Northern Santa Fe train carrying Bakken crude oil rolls past Billings.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe has a green light to speed through Miles City at up to 60 mph, and the town isn’t happy.
{Miles City mayor Butch Grenz} said he got a notice in the mail from BNSF several weeks ago that the track was classified by the Federal Railroad Administration for speeds up to 60 miles per hour. ... The mayor said he believes trains are speeding up because Berkshire Hathaway, which bought BNSF several years ago, is getting its money from the trains. Berkshire is the diversified holding company of Nebraska billionaire Warren Buffett. ... “What you’re seeing is Mr. Buffett is a better businessman than the last owners of the railroad were,” Grenz said.
In the past few years, BNSF has invested more than $100 million in its southern line across Montana, which stretches from Glendive to Laurel, where the loads are transferred to Montana Rail Link to be hauled into the Idaho Panhandle.
BNSF has installed sidings long enough for a mile-long train to leave the mainline and keep rolling while another train passes by. This year, the railroad is relocating workers from Glendive and Forsyth to Laurel as it transitions to longer runs. ... But timing is everything on a single rail line with trains traveling in both directions. Speed is part of the BNSF equation, concurred Matt Jones, BNSF spokesman for Montana.
Note that while 60 mph might be the limit for freights in general, oil trains are subject to separate speed limits.
Officials: Broken rail missed on 2 inspections caused fiery West Va. train derailment
Officials: Broken rail missed on 2 inspections caused fiery West Va. train derailment
Officials: Broken rail missed on 2 inspections caused fiery West Va. train derailment
Source: Associated Press via Richmond Times-Dispatch
Posted: Friday, October 9, 2015 9:33 am
Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, W.Va. (AP) — Federal investigators say a broken rail that wasn't found on two previous inspections led to a fiery oil train derailment in southern West Virginia in February.
The Federal Railroad Administration on Friday announced the results of its investigation into the Feb. 16 derailment during a snowstorm in Mount Carbon.
The FRA says the broken rail resulted from a vertical split head rail defect. The problem was missed by CSX Corp. and a contractor on two separate inspections in the months leading up the accident.
The CSX train was carrying 3 million gallons of Bakken crude oil. Twenty-seven of the train's 109 cars derailed. Twenty cars leaked crude oil.
Posted: Friday, October 9, 2015 9:33 am
Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, W.Va. (AP) — Federal investigators say a broken rail that wasn't found on two previous inspections led to a fiery oil train derailment in southern West Virginia in February.
The Federal Railroad Administration on Friday announced the results of its investigation into the Feb. 16 derailment during a snowstorm in Mount Carbon.
The FRA says the broken rail resulted from a vertical split head rail defect. The problem was missed by CSX Corp. and a contractor on two separate inspections in the months leading up the accident.
The CSX train was carrying 3 million gallons of Bakken crude oil. Twenty-seven of the train's 109 cars derailed. Twenty cars leaked crude oil.
Friday, October 9, 2015
Feds say broken rail caused Fayette County train derailment
By Lori Kersey, Weekend Editor
Gazette-Mail file photos
Derailed train cars burn on the evening of Feb. 16, 2015, after a CSX oil train derailed in Fayette County. On Friday, the Federal Railroad Administration said the derailment was caused by a broken rail, which was missed in two inspections in the months before the derailment.
Emergency officials walk by the site where fire from a CSX oil train derailment destroyed a Fayette County man’s truck, house and garage near Mount Carbon on Feb. 16, 2015.
February's derailment of a CSX oil train in Fayette County, which sparked a fire that destroyed one home and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents, was caused by a broken rail, an investigation by the Federal Railroad Administration has shown.
The FRA, the lead agency in the response to and investigation of the derailment, has planned a 9:30 a.m. news conference to discuss the results of its investigation.
The CSX train, hauling 107 tank car loads of Bakken Shale crude oil from North Dakota to a transportation terminal in Yorktown, Virginia, derailed in Adena Village near Mount Carbon and Deepwater around 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 16, setting one house on fire and causing numerous tank cars to burn and explode.
The broken rail was the result of a vertical split head rail defect, which CSX and its contractor, Sperry Rail Service, missed twice in the months leading up to the incident, according to the FRA.
Feds say broken rail caused Fayette County train derailment
By Lori Kersey, Weekend Editor
Gazette-Mail file photos
Derailed train cars burn on the evening of Feb. 16, 2015, after a CSX oil train derailed in Fayette County. On Friday, the Federal Railroad Administration said the derailment was caused by a broken rail, which was missed in two inspections in the months before the derailment.
Emergency officials walk by the site where fire from a CSX oil train derailment destroyed a Fayette County man’s truck, house and garage near Mount Carbon on Feb. 16, 2015.
February's derailment of a CSX oil train in Fayette County, which sparked a fire that destroyed one home and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents, was caused by a broken rail, an investigation by the Federal Railroad Administration has shown.
The FRA, the lead agency in the response to and investigation of the derailment, has planned a 9:30 a.m. news conference to discuss the results of its investigation.
The CSX train, hauling 107 tank car loads of Bakken Shale crude oil from North Dakota to a transportation terminal in Yorktown, Virginia, derailed in Adena Village near Mount Carbon and Deepwater around 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 16, setting one house on fire and causing numerous tank cars to burn and explode.
The broken rail was the result of a vertical split head rail defect, which CSX and its contractor, Sperry Rail Service, missed twice in the months leading up to the incident, according to the FRA.
Minnesota legislators want railroads to open books on emergency response
Local officials want to be better prepared for oil train derailments
By Maya Rao Star Tribune
maya.rao@startribune.com
612-673-4210
April 7, 2016 — 10:07pm
Glen Stubbe
Railroads like the Union Pacific, whose freight train was in the yard in Shakopee on Wednesday, are asked to disclose more records.
The emergency management director for St. Paul held up a sheet of paper covered with a large black square. It was a redacted record he had requested to learn how railroad companies would respond to a potential oil train derailment in his city. ... “The good news is that it’s double-sided,” Rick Larkin, the emergency official, joked during a legislative hearing at the State Capitol this week as he turned over the paper to reveal another black square.
Larkin and emergency responders around Minnesota are intensifying pressure on railroad companies to release the information that towns and counties say they need to prepare for a crash involving Bakken crude oil and other hazardous liquids that travel over the state’s nearly 4,500 miles of track.
Oil train safety has emerged as a major issue in Minnesota, particularly as so many trains make their way through or near heavily populated areas. An oil train derailment in West Virginia last year created a massive and deadly fireball that at times soared 20 stories into the air, renewing emergency response concerns around the country. Also last year, a train hauling 109 tanker cars derailed outside the town of Heimdal, N.D. Ten of the cars caught fire, scorching the surrounding land and sending flames shooting into the sky.
Minnesota emergency responders are asking legislators to force railroad companies to turn over disaster planning records, saying they need to coordinate a more detailed response plan in the event of a hazardous explosion.
Local officials want to be better prepared for oil train derailments
By Maya Rao Star Tribune
maya.rao@startribune.com
612-673-4210
April 7, 2016 — 10:07pm
Glen Stubbe
Railroads like the Union Pacific, whose freight train was in the yard in Shakopee on Wednesday, are asked to disclose more records.
The emergency management director for St. Paul held up a sheet of paper covered with a large black square. It was a redacted record he had requested to learn how railroad companies would respond to a potential oil train derailment in his city. ... “The good news is that it’s double-sided,” Rick Larkin, the emergency official, joked during a legislative hearing at the State Capitol this week as he turned over the paper to reveal another black square.
Larkin and emergency responders around Minnesota are intensifying pressure on railroad companies to release the information that towns and counties say they need to prepare for a crash involving Bakken crude oil and other hazardous liquids that travel over the state’s nearly 4,500 miles of track.
Oil train safety has emerged as a major issue in Minnesota, particularly as so many trains make their way through or near heavily populated areas. An oil train derailment in West Virginia last year created a massive and deadly fireball that at times soared 20 stories into the air, renewing emergency response concerns around the country. Also last year, a train hauling 109 tanker cars derailed outside the town of Heimdal, N.D. Ten of the cars caught fire, scorching the surrounding land and sending flames shooting into the sky.
Minnesota emergency responders are asking legislators to force railroad companies to turn over disaster planning records, saying they need to coordinate a more detailed response plan in the event of a hazardous explosion.
Hat tip, TexasTowelie
Mon Oct 18, 2021: Railroad venture boosts number of oil trains in Minnesota
Railroad venture boosts number of oil trains in Minnesota
The Canadian Pacific railroad and the oil terminal's developer say a new technology makes the crude less hazardous.
By Mike Hughlett Star Tribune | OCTOBER 17, 2021 — 5:00PM
A new Canadian railroad venture is sparking a significant increase of 15 to 20 oil trains that run through Minnesota each month. ... Canadian Pacific Railway's specialized new Canadian crude cargoes run on its main line, which bisects the Twin Cities. And the Canadian rail giant's recent deal to purchase a major U.S. railroad will likely make its new oil service even more appealing to shippers.
Oil-by-rail has stoked safety concerns in Minnesota and elsewhere since 2013 when an oil train in Quebec caught fire and exploded, killing 47 people.Since then, several more oil trains in North America have derailed and spilled, some catching fire.
Canadian Pacific declined to say how many of the new oil trains it's currently running. But during a conference call with analysts in July, the railroad's chief marketing officer said he expects "business to ramp up to 15 to 20 trains per month during the third quarter," which ended Sept. 30. Their destination: Port Arthur, Texas.
Canadian Pacific and the company behind the new Alberta, Canada, rail venture, USD Partners, say they're using a new technology that makes shipping oil safe enough it need not be categorized as a flammable hazardous cargo. ... "From an innovation, sustainability and safety perspective, this is a game changer," Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel said in 2019 when the project was announced.
{snip}
Mike Hughlett covers energy and other topics for the Star Tribune, where he has worked since 2010. Before that he was a reporter at newspapers in Chicago, St. Paul, New Orleans and Duluth.
mike.hughlett@startribune.com | 612-673-7003
The Canadian Pacific railroad and the oil terminal's developer say a new technology makes the crude less hazardous.
By Mike Hughlett Star Tribune | OCTOBER 17, 2021 — 5:00PM
A new Canadian railroad venture is sparking a significant increase of 15 to 20 oil trains that run through Minnesota each month. ... Canadian Pacific Railway's specialized new Canadian crude cargoes run on its main line, which bisects the Twin Cities. And the Canadian rail giant's recent deal to purchase a major U.S. railroad will likely make its new oil service even more appealing to shippers.
Oil-by-rail has stoked safety concerns in Minnesota and elsewhere since 2013 when an oil train in Quebec caught fire and exploded, killing 47 people.Since then, several more oil trains in North America have derailed and spilled, some catching fire.
Canadian Pacific declined to say how many of the new oil trains it's currently running. But during a conference call with analysts in July, the railroad's chief marketing officer said he expects "business to ramp up to 15 to 20 trains per month during the third quarter," which ended Sept. 30. Their destination: Port Arthur, Texas.
Canadian Pacific and the company behind the new Alberta, Canada, rail venture, USD Partners, say they're using a new technology that makes shipping oil safe enough it need not be categorized as a flammable hazardous cargo. ... "From an innovation, sustainability and safety perspective, this is a game changer," Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel said in 2019 when the project was announced.
{snip}
Mike Hughlett covers energy and other topics for the Star Tribune, where he has worked since 2010. Before that he was a reporter at newspapers in Chicago, St. Paul, New Orleans and Duluth.
mike.hughlett@startribune.com | 612-673-7003
For keeping this thread active for six years! Wow! What a great resource for anyone wanting to know about this subject. It’s people like you who make DU the valuable fount of information it has become. Thank you for your effort. 
Moffat Tunnel lease could become part of fight over Uinta Basin Railway
By | July 30, 2023
Opponents of oil-train traffic see opportunity in lease set to expire in January 2025
Diesel locomotives shed exhaust in misty clouds near a tunnel entrance in a snowy mountain scene.
Union Pacific diesels approach the east portal of Colorado’s Moffat Tunnel. UP’s lease on the tunnel, which expires in 2025, is the subject of scrutiny from opponents of more oil-train traffic on the route. Charlie Conway
DENVER — Colorado opponents of the oil-train traffic expected to be generated by the Uinta Basin Railway may attempt to use Union Pacific’s soon-to-expire lease on the Moffat Tunnel as leverage in their effort to fight the Utah project, the website Colorado Newsline reports.
{snip}
By | July 30, 2023
Opponents of oil-train traffic see opportunity in lease set to expire in January 2025
Diesel locomotives shed exhaust in misty clouds near a tunnel entrance in a snowy mountain scene.
Union Pacific diesels approach the east portal of Colorado’s Moffat Tunnel. UP’s lease on the tunnel, which expires in 2025, is the subject of scrutiny from opponents of more oil-train traffic on the route. Charlie Conway
DENVER — Colorado opponents of the oil-train traffic expected to be generated by the Uinta Basin Railway may attempt to use Union Pacific’s soon-to-expire lease on the Moffat Tunnel as leverage in their effort to fight the Utah project, the website Colorado Newsline reports.
{snip}
ENVIRONMENT GOVERNMENT
Oil-train opponents look to railroad’s expiring Moffat Tunnel lease for bargaining power
Uinta Basin rail project in Utah could result in dramatic increase of hazardous material on Union Pacific line through Colorado
BY: DAVID O. WILLIAMS - JULY 28, 2023 4:00 AM
The East Portal of the Moffat Tunnel near Tolland is pictured on June 26, 2023. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)
State officials since last spring have quietly been reaching out to communities along Colorado’s main east-west rail line to gauge local sentiment as the state negotiates a new lease with rail giant Union Pacific, which pays $12,000 a year to send trains through the state-owned Moffat Tunnel. ... Union Pacific’s 99-year lease to use the 6.2-mile Moffat Tunnel expires Jan. 6, 2025, and Kate McIntire, a regional manager for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, has been tasked with “developing our list of concerns, potential opportunities, roles, responsibilities, and ways stakeholders would like to ensure they’re involved in the negotiation.”
McIntire, in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Transportation and the recently formed Public-Private Partnership (P3) Collaboration Unit of the Department of Personnel and Administration, will be ramping up outreach this fall and through 2024. ... McIntire expects to hear more input from counties and towns along Union Pacific’s Central Corridor rail line between Denver and Grand Junction about the controversial 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway proposal in Utah. The project would send up to 350,000 additional barrels of oil per day along the route, which travels for about 100 miles along the headwaters of the endangered Colorado River.
“Yes, some of those comments came up and were addressed more directly to Union Pacific,” McIntire said of meetings the state has already held with Denver Water, which uses the Moffat Tunnel’s original 1922 bore hole for transmountain water diversions; Adams, Gilpin, Grand and Jefferson counties; and the cities of Arvada, Golden, Winter Park, Fraser and Kremmling.
{snip}
Trains of tanker cars sit idle on railroad tracks in Grand Junction on May 16, 2023. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)
{snip}
Tennessee Pass Line
Terry Armistead, a Minturn Town Council member, mayor pro tem, and a member of the Minturn Railroad Committee, made it clear she was not speaking for the whole committee or the entire town council, but she acknowledged she has spoken to McIntire. ... “In regards to the Tennessee Pass Line, I heard nothing in that short meeting of any substance, unfortunately. It was kind of anticlimactic,” Armistead said of a long-dormant Union Pacific rail line that connects to the Central Corridor at Dotsero and heads southeast along the Eagle and Arkansas rivers to Pueblo — a route that if revived would avoid the Moffat Tunnel and Denver altogether. ... That is one of the fears Eagle County expressed in its litigation — added pressure to restart rail traffic on the Tennessee Pass Line through Avon and the former mining and railroad towns of Minturn and Red Cliff off the backside of Vail Mountain.
{snip}
For Union Pacific, which did try to formally abandon the TPL in the late 1990s after the merger — only to be snubbed on that front by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board — it’s somewhat of a moot point. ... “We have no plans of reopening the Tennessee Pass,” Union Pacific’s Tysver said.
DAVID O. WILLIAMS
https://twitter.com/davidowilliams
David O. Williams is an award-winning freelance journalist based in EagleVail, Colorado. His work has appeared in more than 75 publications around the world and he owns and operates RealVail.com.
Oil-train opponents look to railroad’s expiring Moffat Tunnel lease for bargaining power
Uinta Basin rail project in Utah could result in dramatic increase of hazardous material on Union Pacific line through Colorado
BY: DAVID O. WILLIAMS - JULY 28, 2023 4:00 AM
The East Portal of the Moffat Tunnel near Tolland is pictured on June 26, 2023. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)
State officials since last spring have quietly been reaching out to communities along Colorado’s main east-west rail line to gauge local sentiment as the state negotiates a new lease with rail giant Union Pacific, which pays $12,000 a year to send trains through the state-owned Moffat Tunnel. ... Union Pacific’s 99-year lease to use the 6.2-mile Moffat Tunnel expires Jan. 6, 2025, and Kate McIntire, a regional manager for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, has been tasked with “developing our list of concerns, potential opportunities, roles, responsibilities, and ways stakeholders would like to ensure they’re involved in the negotiation.”
McIntire, in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Transportation and the recently formed Public-Private Partnership (P3) Collaboration Unit of the Department of Personnel and Administration, will be ramping up outreach this fall and through 2024. ... McIntire expects to hear more input from counties and towns along Union Pacific’s Central Corridor rail line between Denver and Grand Junction about the controversial 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway proposal in Utah. The project would send up to 350,000 additional barrels of oil per day along the route, which travels for about 100 miles along the headwaters of the endangered Colorado River.
“Yes, some of those comments came up and were addressed more directly to Union Pacific,” McIntire said of meetings the state has already held with Denver Water, which uses the Moffat Tunnel’s original 1922 bore hole for transmountain water diversions; Adams, Gilpin, Grand and Jefferson counties; and the cities of Arvada, Golden, Winter Park, Fraser and Kremmling.
{snip}
Trains of tanker cars sit idle on railroad tracks in Grand Junction on May 16, 2023. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)
{snip}
Tennessee Pass Line
Terry Armistead, a Minturn Town Council member, mayor pro tem, and a member of the Minturn Railroad Committee, made it clear she was not speaking for the whole committee or the entire town council, but she acknowledged she has spoken to McIntire. ... “In regards to the Tennessee Pass Line, I heard nothing in that short meeting of any substance, unfortunately. It was kind of anticlimactic,” Armistead said of a long-dormant Union Pacific rail line that connects to the Central Corridor at Dotsero and heads southeast along the Eagle and Arkansas rivers to Pueblo — a route that if revived would avoid the Moffat Tunnel and Denver altogether. ... That is one of the fears Eagle County expressed in its litigation — added pressure to restart rail traffic on the Tennessee Pass Line through Avon and the former mining and railroad towns of Minturn and Red Cliff off the backside of Vail Mountain.
{snip}
For Union Pacific, which did try to formally abandon the TPL in the late 1990s after the merger — only to be snubbed on that front by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board — it’s somewhat of a moot point. ... “We have no plans of reopening the Tennessee Pass,” Union Pacific’s Tysver said.
DAVID O. WILLIAMS
https://twitter.com/davidowilliams
David O. Williams is an award-winning freelance journalist based in EagleVail, Colorado. His work has appeared in more than 75 publications around the world and he owns and operates RealVail.com.
The Valley: In Grand Junction, oil train route would retrace Colorado railroad history
Uinta Basin Railway could send 10 trains per day through remote Ruby Canyon, Palisade orchard country
BY: CHASE WOODRUFF - MONDAY JUNE 26, 2023 4:00 AM
{snip}
These tracks have run through Ruby Canyon for well over a century, but traffic has lessened over time. These days, fewer than one train per day on average departs Colorado’s largest remaining coal mine, the West Elk Mine in Gunnison County, bound for points west. They’re joined by irregular assorted freight traffic, also averaging roughly one train per day, and Amtrak’s California Zephyr passenger line, which offers service once daily in either direction on its route between San Francisco and Chicago. ... Soon, however, freight traffic on this railroad could be more than quadrupled, federal regulators estimate, by the construction of a new railway extension in a remote area of eastern Utah, about 100 miles northwest of this spot along the border. Nearly all of the increase would be made up of what alarmed environmentalists have taken to calling “bomb trains” full of combustible fossil fuels.
The 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway would connect Utah’s largest oil field to the national rail network, allowing drillers there to dramatically ramp up production and transport up to 300,000 barrels of oil per day to refineries in Texas and Louisiana. Five hundred tankers full of heated waxy crude oil could depart the Uinta Basin daily, and while they could take several possible paths to the Gulf Coast, all eastbound routes run directly through Ruby Canyon, central Colorado and the Denver metro area.
The railway project, years in the planning and backed by a public-private partnership between Utah county governments and industry, needs billions of dollars in financing before it can become a reality. But it has already secured key permits from President Joe Biden’s administration and has signaled it will soon apply for special tax-exempt infrastructure bonds that must be approved by the Department of Transportation.
A coal train crosses the Colorado-Utah border on May 15, 2023. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)
The Uinta Basin Railway would be the largest new railroad project built from scratch in the United States since the 1970s. If it’s built, it will be built not to move people — as many passenger-rail advocates renewed their hopes for in the wake of an Amtrak-loving Democrat’s election to the White House in 2020 — but to feed the beast of the global fossil fuel economy, the dominant contributor to human-caused climate change. ... Greenlighting the railroad would be the latest — and perhaps the largest — in series of energy-development moves by Biden’s administration that run counter to its stated climate goals.
{snip}
The Colorado River flows through Grand Junction, June 9, 2023. The railroad is visible coming into the city from the left along the river then turning abruptly east. (William Woody for Colorado Newsline)
{snip}
CHASE WOODRUFF
chase@coloradonewsline.com
https://twitter.com/dcwoodruff
Reporter Chase Woodruff covers the environment, the economy and other stories for Colorado Newsline.
Uinta Basin Railway could send 10 trains per day through remote Ruby Canyon, Palisade orchard country
BY: CHASE WOODRUFF - MONDAY JUNE 26, 2023 4:00 AM
{snip}
These tracks have run through Ruby Canyon for well over a century, but traffic has lessened over time. These days, fewer than one train per day on average departs Colorado’s largest remaining coal mine, the West Elk Mine in Gunnison County, bound for points west. They’re joined by irregular assorted freight traffic, also averaging roughly one train per day, and Amtrak’s California Zephyr passenger line, which offers service once daily in either direction on its route between San Francisco and Chicago. ... Soon, however, freight traffic on this railroad could be more than quadrupled, federal regulators estimate, by the construction of a new railway extension in a remote area of eastern Utah, about 100 miles northwest of this spot along the border. Nearly all of the increase would be made up of what alarmed environmentalists have taken to calling “bomb trains” full of combustible fossil fuels.
The 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway would connect Utah’s largest oil field to the national rail network, allowing drillers there to dramatically ramp up production and transport up to 300,000 barrels of oil per day to refineries in Texas and Louisiana. Five hundred tankers full of heated waxy crude oil could depart the Uinta Basin daily, and while they could take several possible paths to the Gulf Coast, all eastbound routes run directly through Ruby Canyon, central Colorado and the Denver metro area.
The railway project, years in the planning and backed by a public-private partnership between Utah county governments and industry, needs billions of dollars in financing before it can become a reality. But it has already secured key permits from President Joe Biden’s administration and has signaled it will soon apply for special tax-exempt infrastructure bonds that must be approved by the Department of Transportation.
A coal train crosses the Colorado-Utah border on May 15, 2023. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)
The Uinta Basin Railway would be the largest new railroad project built from scratch in the United States since the 1970s. If it’s built, it will be built not to move people — as many passenger-rail advocates renewed their hopes for in the wake of an Amtrak-loving Democrat’s election to the White House in 2020 — but to feed the beast of the global fossil fuel economy, the dominant contributor to human-caused climate change. ... Greenlighting the railroad would be the latest — and perhaps the largest — in series of energy-development moves by Biden’s administration that run counter to its stated climate goals.
{snip}
The Colorado River flows through Grand Junction, June 9, 2023. The railroad is visible coming into the city from the left along the river then turning abruptly east. (William Woody for Colorado Newsline)
{snip}
CHASE WOODRUFF
chase@coloradonewsline.com
https://twitter.com/dcwoodruff
Reporter Chase Woodruff covers the environment, the economy and other stories for Colorado Newsline.
https://news.google.com/search?for=moffat+tunnel&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen
6 months after the East Palestine train derailment, Congress is deadlocked on new rules for safety
FILE - Cleanup of portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio, continues on Feb. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
By STEPHEN GROVES and JOSH FUNK
Updated 6:50 AM EDT, August 3, 2023
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress responded to the fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio earlier this year with bipartisan alarm, holding a flurry of hearings about the potential for railroad crashes to trigger even larger disasters. Both parties agreed that a legislative response was needed. Yet six months after life was upended in East Palestine, little has changed.
While President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have praised a railroad safety bill from Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and JD Vance, a Republican, the Senate proposal has also encountered resistance. Top GOP leaders in Congress have been hesitant to support it, and the bill has faced some opposition from the railroad industry, which holds significant sway in Washington.
As a result, it remains an open question whether the derailment that shattered life in East Palestine will become a catalyst for action. And for Republicans, the fight poses a larger test of political identity, caught between their traditional support for industry and their desire to champion voters in rural America.
“These rail lines pass frequently through Republican areas, small towns with a lot of Republican voters,” Vance told The Associated Press. “How can we look them in the eye and say, we’re doing a good job by you? If we choose the railroads over their own interests, we can’t.”
(snip)
FILE - Cleanup of portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio, continues on Feb. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
By STEPHEN GROVES and JOSH FUNK
Updated 6:50 AM EDT, August 3, 2023
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress responded to the fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio earlier this year with bipartisan alarm, holding a flurry of hearings about the potential for railroad crashes to trigger even larger disasters. Both parties agreed that a legislative response was needed. Yet six months after life was upended in East Palestine, little has changed.
While President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have praised a railroad safety bill from Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and JD Vance, a Republican, the Senate proposal has also encountered resistance. Top GOP leaders in Congress have been hesitant to support it, and the bill has faced some opposition from the railroad industry, which holds significant sway in Washington.
As a result, it remains an open question whether the derailment that shattered life in East Palestine will become a catalyst for action. And for Republicans, the fight poses a larger test of political identity, caught between their traditional support for industry and their desire to champion voters in rural America.
“These rail lines pass frequently through Republican areas, small towns with a lot of Republican voters,” Vance told The Associated Press. “How can we look them in the eye and say, we’re doing a good job by you? If we choose the railroads over their own interests, we can’t.”
(snip)
(P.S. There was a spammer that posted in here and that is how I spotted your thread. I had been scanning news sites this morning and saw the above at AP so figured this would be a good place to include it
)