Fiery North Dakota derailment was latest crash to involve weak tank cars the NTSB wants replaced
The fiery North Dakota derailment that burned for days early last month was the latest train crash to involve flawed tank cars the National Transportation Safety board has been trying to get off the tracks for decades
The fiery North Dakota derailment that burned for days early last month was the latest train crash to involve the flawed tank cars that the National Transportation Safety Board has been trying to get off the tracks for decades.
The NTSB said in a preliminary report released Thursday that the July 5 train crash near the small town of Bondulac, North Dakota, caused an estimated $3.6 million damage to the CPKC railroad tracks and equipment. But the agency didn't offer many hints about what caused the derailment that happened in the early morning hours that day.
CPKC railroad officials are prohibited from answering questions about the derailment while NTSB is investigating.
The NTSB highlighted the fact that some of the 17 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that derailed were DOT-111 tank cars that have demonstrated time and again that they are prone to rupturing in a train crash. The agency has been recommending eliminating the use of those cars for hazardous materials at least since the 1990s because of their history of problems, and Congress did mandate that they be replaced for hauling flammable liquids by 2029. But even then they could continue to be used for other hazardous materials.
Officials at the Federal Railroad Administration have said it might be possible to move up that deadline by a year, but probably not much more than that because tank car manufacturers don't have the capacity to do it sooner. There is also a significant cost for the chemical and leasing companies that own them to
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