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oil-train-railSEATTLE – City Councilmember Mike O’Brien and all eight of his council colleagues signed a letter calling for the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to issue an emergency order prohibiting the shipment of Bakken crude oil in legacy DOT-111 tank train cars. Bakken is highly flammable and easily ignited at normal temperatures by heat, static discharges, sparks or flames, and vapors which may form explosive mixtures with air and spread along confined areas such as sewers. The Seattle City Council is the first in the country to support the petition, filed by Earthjustice on behalf of the Sierra Club and ForestEthics.

The corresponding letter highlights the O’Brien-sponsored oil train Resolution 31504, which was signed by Mayor Ed Murray and adopted by Council in February. O’Brien’s resolution urged Secretary Anthony Foxx to aggressively phase out older model tank cars used to move flammable liquids that are not retrofitted to meet new federal requirements. Following the explosion of DOT-111 train cars in Quebec, which killed 47 men, women and children, Canada immediately took action to begin phasing-out of the DOT-111 cars.

“Dozens of people have died in crude-by-rail accidents when DOT-111 tank cars were punctured and spilled flammable crude,” said O’Brien. “The catastrophic explosions can be triggered by a single spark and yet they travel on tracks underneath downtown and flanking both Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field. Seattle cannot afford to sit idly by with public safety in our city at risk.”

Earlier today the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed new rules that would phase out the use of the DOT-111 cars in two years. City Council’s letter in support of the EarthJustice petition seeks to protect the public from oil spills and explosions now. According to the letter: “Banning the shipment of highly flammable crude oil in legacy DOT-111 tank cars is necessary to abate the unsafe conditions posing an imminent hazard to human life, communities, and the environment.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, areas up to one-half mile or more from an accident site are considered vulnerable. An incident requiring warning, evacuation or rescue could easily affect the more than 600,000 people living and working in densely populated sections of Seattle.

BNSF Railway reports moving 8-13 oil trains per week through Seattle, all containing 1,000,000 or more gallons of Bakken crude. Many of the City of Seattle’s public safety concerns were highlighted in the April 2014 testimony of Seattle’s Director of Office of Emergency Management before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies in the Committee on Appropriations.

BNSF_Color_LogoDALLAS – BNSF Railway Co., the only U.S. railroad ordered by the regulator (Surface Transportation Board) to provide weekly service updates, is losing market share to Union Pacific Corp., its main competitor, as train speeds slow and on-time deliveries drop.

The shift in market share had shown up in carload statistics, Union Pacific Chief Executive Officer Jack Koraleski said Thursday. During the second quarter, the Union Pacific’s loads rose 8.2 percent while those of BNSF, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., gained 4.9 percent.

Read the complete story at Fort Worth Business Press.

RRB_seal_150pxAdditional locations have now been added to the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board’s (RRB) schedule of Pre-Retirement Seminars for railroad employees and their spouses.

Designed for railroad employees and spouses planning to retire within five years or less, the seminars will familiarize attendees with the retirement benefits available to them, and also guide them through the application process. The program is sponsored by the RRB’s Office of the Labor Member, and began earlier this year on a pilot basis with seminars held in several locations. Additional seminars, to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., have been announced for the following dates and at the following locations:

  • Oct. 3: Moorhead Federal Building, 1000 Liberty Ave., Room 1310, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.
  • Oct. 9: Jerome Hill Theater (1st floor), 180 E. 5th St., St. Paul, MN 55101.
  • Oct. 31: Richard Bolling Federal Building, 601 E. 12th St., Cafeteria Conference Room (ground floor), Kansas City, MO 64106.

Persons wishing to attend are asked to print and complete a registration form, which is available by visiting the RRB’s website at www.rrb.gov, and selecting the Office of the Labor Member’s Educational Materials link in the Spotlight section of the homepage. Seminar space is limited and registration is being accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Completed forms should be mailed or faxed to the RRB office listed on the form as soon as possible.

Individuals who have not previously submitted documents required when filing a railroad retirement annuity application, such as proofs of age, marriage, or military service, are encouraged to bring this material (original documents or certified copies required) to the seminar. Attendees should also bring along an additional copy of each item to leave with the RRB field personnel leading the seminars.

Those unable to attend the seminars but still seeking pre-retirement information should contact the RRB. Individual retirement counseling is available in person at an agency field office, or by phone by contacting the RRB toll-free at (877) 772-5772.

 

oil-train-railA Burlington Northern Santa Fe train carrying crude oil derailed as it left a railyard in north Seattle on Thursday, but there were no reports of a spill or injuries, BNSF said in a statement.

Four railcars came off the tracks at around 2 a.m. PDT (0900 GMT), three of which were carrying crude oil, said BNSF, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway. The train originated in North Dakota and was bound for Tesoro Corp’s 120,000 barrel-per-day Anacortes oil refinery, 80 miles (129 km) north of the city, Tesoro confirmed.

Read the complete story at Reuters.

FRA_logo_wordsWASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today released the details of its comprehensive rulemaking proposal to improve the safe transportation of large quantities of flammable materials by rail – particularly crude oil and ethanol – in the form of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and a companion Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM).

The NPRM proposes enhanced tank car standards, a classification and testing program for mined gases and liquids and new operational requirements for high-hazard flammable trains (HHFT) that include braking controls and speed restrictions. Specifically, within two years, it proposes the phase out of the use of older DOT 111 tank cars for the shipment of packing group I flammable liquids, including most Bakken crude oil, unless the tank cars are retrofitted to comply with new tank car design standards. The ANPRM seeks further information on expanding comprehensive oil spill response planning requirements for shipments of flammable materials. Both the NPRM and ANPRM are available for review on www.regulations.gov and will now be open for 60 days of public comment. Given the urgency of the safety issues addressed in these proposals, PHMSA does not intend to extend the comment period.

“Safety is our top priority, which is why I’ve worked aggressively to improve the safe transport of crude oil and other hazardous materials since my first week in office,” said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “While we have made unprecedented progress through voluntary agreements and emergency orders, today’s (July 23) proposal represents our most significant progress yet in developing and enforcing new rules to ensure that all flammable liquids, including Bakken crude and ethanol, are transported safely.”

The July 23 NPRM is based on an ANPRM published by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) last September, and reflects feedback from more than 152,000 commenters. Specifically, PHMSA will seek comment on the following provisions:

Defining the term “high-hazard flammable train” (HHFT).

  • Proposes a definition of HHFT as a train carrying 20 or more tank carloads of flammable liquids (including crude oil and ethanol).

Better classification and characterization of mined gases and liquids.

  • Proposes development and implementation of a written sampling and testing program for all mined gases and liquids, such as crude oil, to address:
  1. frequency of sampling and testing;
  2. sampling at various points along the supply chain;
  3. sampling methods that ensure a representative sample of the entire mixture;
  4. testing methods to enable better analysis, classification, and characterization of material;
  5. statistical justification for sample frequencies; and,
  6. duplicate samples for quality assurance.
  • Proposes that offerors be required to certify that sampling and testing program is in place, document the testing and sampling program, and makes program information available to DOT personnel, upon request.

Rail routing risk assessment.

  • Proposes that carriers be required to perform a routing analysis for HHFT that would consider 27 safety and security factors and select a route based on findings of the route analysis.

Notification to State Emergency Response Commissions.

  • Proposes to codify DOT’s May 2014 emergency order that require trains containing one million gallons of Bakken crude oil to notify State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) or other appropriate state delegated entities about the operation of these trains through their States.

Reduced operating speeds.

  • Requests comment on three speed restriction options for HHFTs that contain any tank cars not meeting the enhanced tank car standards proposed by this rule:
  1. a 40-mph maximum speed restriction in all areas;
  2. a 40-mph speed restriction in high threat urban areas[1]; and,
  3. a 40-mph speed restriction in areas with a 100K+ population.
  • If tank cars in the HHFT meet specifications finalized in the enhanced tank car section of this rule, speed would be limited to 50-mph in all areas (rather than 40-mph).
  • PHMSA also will evaluate a 30-mph speed restriction for HHFTs that do not comply with enhanced braking requirements.

Enhanced braking.

  • Proposes to require all HHFTs to be equipped with alternative brake signal propagation systems. Depending on the outcome of the tank car standard proposal and implementation timing, all HHFTs would be operated with either electronic controlled pneumatic brakes (ECP), a two-way end of train device (EOT), or distributed power (DP).

Enhanced standards for both new and existing tank cars.

  • Proposes new standards for tank cars constructed after October 1, 2015 (and that are used to transport flammable liquids as part of a HHFT) (e.g., thermal, top fittings, and bottom outlet protection; tank head and shell puncture resistance). PHMSA is requesting comment on three options for enhanced tank car standard requirements:
  1. Tank car option 1 would have 9/16 inch steel, would be outfitted with electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes and would be equipped with rollover protection.
  2. Tank car option 2 would also have 9/16 inch steel but would not require ECP brakes or rollover protection.
  3. Tank car option 3 is based on a 2011 industry standard and has 7/16 inch steel, and does not require ECP brakes or rollover protection
  • Proposes to require existing tank cars that are used to transport flammable liquids as part of a HHFT be retrofitted to meet the selected option for performance requirements. Those not retrofitted would be retired, repurposed, or operated under speed restrictions for up to five years, based on packing group assignment of the flammable liquids being shipped by rail.

PHMSA will concurrently publish an ANPRM on oil spill response plans, specifically current thresholds and their applicability to rail, in part in response to an NTSB recommendation issued in January 2014.

In addition to issuing the NPRM and ANPRM, PHMSA concurrently released a report summarizing the analysis of Bakken crude oil data gathered by PHMSA and FRA between August 2013 and May 2014. The data show that crude oil from the Bakken region in North Dakota tends to be more volatile and flammable than other crude oils. Collected as part of Operation Classification (OSD), a joint PHMSA and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) effort, the data were initially gathered to verify that crude oil was being properly classified in accordance with federal regulations, and evolved to include more robust testing to better understand the characteristics of the product.

The safety risk presented by transporting Bakken crude oil by rail is magnified both by an increasing volume of Bakken being shipped by throughout the U.S. and the large distances over which the product is shipped. In 2008, 9,500 rail-carloads of crude moved through our country compared to last year, when there were 415,000 rail-carloads. Moreover, on average Bakken crude oil shipments travel over 1,000 miles from point of origin to refineries on the coasts.

PHMSA and FRA plan to continue the
sampling and analysis activities of Operation Safe Delivery through the summer and fall of 2014working with the regulated community to ensure the safe transportation of crude oil across the nation.

Click here for additional information on the steps the Department of Transportation has already taken to help strengthen the safe transport of crude oil by rail.

union_pacific_logoCLINTON, Utah – A simple act of kindness is something a 12-year-old boy with an autism spectrum disorder is going to remember for the rest of his life.
Matthew Mancil loves trains.
“I don’t know how it started, but he just absolutely loves them,” Aaron Mancil, Matthew’s father, said.
Read the complete story at the Deseret News.
(Do you know who this conductor is? Email us at news_TD@smart-union.org.)

Op lifesaver logoUnion Pacific Railroad’s Operation Lifesaver is a rail safety program that’s been in place for 42 years, but railroad officials are hoping to broaden their outreach to more than just city council presentations.

Israel Maldonado, a Union Pacific risk management representative, told Lodi City Council on Tuesday morning that he would like to visit local schools, churches and businesses to present safety and accident prevention tips for when drivers or pedestrians are near railroad tracks.

Read the complete story at the Lodi News-Sentinel.

safety_signOne of the largest freight railroad companies in North America, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway, is accused of forcing workers to skip critical safety checks and firing employees who blow the whistle on unsafe practices.

A former BNSF employee named Curtis Rookaird, a conductor for the railway for six years, says he was fired in 2010 for insisting that he perform certain safety checks over the objections of his supervisor.

Read the complete story at Public Radio International.

oil-train-railNorth Dakota’s Bakken oil patch has thrived thanks in large part to the once-niche business of hauling fuel on U.S. rail tracks. New safety rules may now test the oil train model.

Within weeks, the Obama Administration is due to unveil a suite of reforms that will rewrite standards conceived long before the rise of the shale oil renaissance, at a time when crude rarely moved by rail and few Americans had ever seen the mile-long oil trains that now crisscross the nation.

Read the complete story at Reuters.

high_speed_rail_1“I just returned from a trip to Europe, and really enjoyed riding the high-speed Eurostar and TGV. Why can’t we have something like that here in the U.S.?” So asked a reader, and the fundamental answer is simple: The United States, as a nation, does not and will not enjoy a robust passenger rail system because, as a nation, it doesn’t have the will to develop and operate one.

Other places do have the will. Between 2003 and 2013, China built more than 6,000 miles of new true high-speed rail lines. Japan and Spain now have almost 1,600 high-speed miles, with more being built or planned. In two years, Switzerland will open a 35-mile tunnel through the heart of the Alps, and the British are digging a new line across all of London. Other countries in Africa and Asia are building or adding to their systems.

Read the complete story at the Chicago Tribune.