The rate of train accidents in North America rose in the third quarter of 2014 and among the worst of them were incidents involving trains transporting oil, known in the industry as crude-by-rail (CBR) trains. During 2013 and 2014, there were at least 10 major CBR derailments in North America. These include:

• A July, 2013 accident in Quebec, Canada wherein several cars exploded, burning down nearly a quarter of the town and killing 47 people;
• A December 2013 derailment in Cassleton, North Dakota that forced most of the town's 2,300 residents to evacuate;
• And an April, 2014 derailment of a CSX train that exploded in Lynchburg, Virginia, spilling oil in to the St. James River and setting it ablaze.

Of top concern are CBR trains that transport a particular type of crude oil harvested from the Bakken region in North Dakota to cities nationwide. Despite the fact that Bakken oil is far more volatile and flammable than other types of crude oil, extraction increased from 3.4 million gallons per day in 2003 to 37.8 million in 2013. So dangerous is the transport of Bakken oil, CBR trains that carry it are being called "bomb trains."

Safety advocates are calling for increased regulation on CBR trains, which can carry up to 100 tank car, each filled with as much as 30,000 gallons of crude oil. They're asking for higher standards for safe rail cars, more funding for prevention, preparedness and response programs and more transparency from oil companies. And we here at Rail Justice support any efforts to make America's railway operations safer for workers, passengers and residents of the cities where trains travel. If you suffer an injury as a railway passenger or worker, contact us at 888-519-RAIL (7245).