Fed should improve freight train safety or risk derailment

A new study commissioned by the federal government has found that over the past two decades, freight trains have grown in length, clogging highways, delaying passenger trains and increasing the likelihood of derailments as regulatory safeguards lag.

in a Report Different railcars of different weights and sizes can stress equipment and put crews on trains that are 7,500 feet or more in length, researchers from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine wrote in a report released Tuesday. bring challenges. (That’s almost a mile and a half.)

The researchers recommended that the Federal Railroad Administration strengthen its risk-reduction requirements when railroads make major operational changes, including using longer freight trains, and have auditors evaluate safeguards and verify their implementation.

They also urge Congress to order FRA to publicly report data on blocked crossings, work with railroads to address the most problematic congestion, and better monitor railroads to ensure freight trains are allowing Amtrak trains to pass, as is legally required .

Railroads that don’t comply should face significant financial penalties, the researchers wrote.

“Freight rail has long provided such a reliable way to move goods and materials across the United States that it’s easy to overlook it, but rail operations have changed so much over the past few decades that the technology used and our understanding of The understanding of rail transportation has also changed significantly. “So now is the time for Congress, regulators and the industry itself to take a closer look at rail practices and regulations to ensure the safest operations in the future. “

The Association of American Railroads disputed the report’s findings and said freight trains are safe regardless of length. The association said accident rates on Class 1 trunk lines have dropped by 42% since 2000. Class I railroads are railroads with annual revenues of $250 million or more.

“Safety is at the core of every decision made by the railways, and train length is no exception,” said Ian Jefferies, president and chief executive of the association. “As operations continue to evolve, railroads are leveraging three key levers – technology, training and infrastructure – to further improve safety and reliability.”

In New Jersey, advocates Lobbying legislators Enhance safety measures and emergency response protocols for so-called “long trains” that can stretch a mile or more. Frankfurt Airport does not limit the length of trains.

Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, said the report demonstrates the dangers posed by long trains. The network has called for limits on train lengths.

“We need to keep our feet on the ground and realize that we can’t handle these very long, 1.5-mile or longer trains, period,” Carluccio said. “The government needs to pay attention to these recommendations. In New Jersey, many railroad tracks run directly through the center of towns and people are directly affected.

Longtime New Jersey environmentalist Jeff Tittel blames state and federal policymakers for their continued failure to improve freight train safety despite the 2013 incident involving a 73-car crude oil train in Lake Megantic, Quebec. It derailed, causing 47 deaths and other disasters. East Palestine, Ohio.

“We still have the same dangerous bridges over the Hackensack River, and we still have these trains passing through neighborhoods just feet away from homes and apartment complexes. If an accident occurs, it could be catastrophic. Nothing has really changed over the years.” , we are playing Russian roulette with these trains every day.”

This article was first published in New Jersey Monitoris the Nebraska Examiner’s sister site in the national newsroom network.