A preliminary report by the National Transportation and Safety Board shows that the conductor of an Eastbound BNSF train headed to Chicago sped past a red stop signal moments before it collided head-on with a Westbound BNSF locomotive traveling westward to Los Angeles June 28 in the Texas Panhandle. Officials say the eastbound train was supposed to stop to allow the other train to pass before continuing on. Instead, a review of the locomotive event recorder data revealed that the eastbound train was traveling about 62 miles per hour when it passed a yellow approach signal, which requires a train to slow down to maximum of 40 miles per hour and be prepared to stop at the next signal. Shortly after, it passed the red stop signal traveling at 65 miles per hour. The resulting collision killed three crew members, including the engineer and conductor of the eastbound train and the conductor of the westbound train. Another engineer managed to jump from the westbound train before the impa...

July 15, 2016

Two proposed legislative bills referred to a Senate committee last year may ultimately become law this year. Both are aimed directly at improving safety of petroleum transport by rail, an effort bolstered in large part by increasing transport of a particularly volatile type of oil harvested in the Bakken region of Montana and North Dakota. The Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation Safety Improvement Act of 2015 creates incentives for companies to remove out-of-date and potentially dangerous tanker cars, replacing them with newer, safer models. The legislation would impose fees on the most dangerous tank cars used to ship crude oil and revenues from those fees would provide grants for emergency preparedness, first responders and additional inspectors. With a similar goal in mind, the Crude-By-Rail Safety Act is designed to establish new federal safety standards for rail cars that transport oil and other flammable liquids and require the phasing out of dangerous tank cars. Th...

July 15, 2016

Just after noon on Friday, June 3, 16 tank cars of a Union Pacific Train, ONETU 02, derailed near the town of Mosier Oregon. The train had been transporting Bakken crude oil for the US Oil & Refining Company and operating on UP’s Portland Subdivision and quickly caught fire, destroying four tank cars and burning for 14 hours. Now, a preliminary report points to broken lag bolts leading to wide track gauge and the use of conventional air brakes rather than newer electronic brakes as primary causes of the accident. The train was traveling at a speed of approximately 25 miles per hour at the point of derailment – well within the 30-mph restriction in pace due to the track’s curvature, and operating with conventional air brakes. It originated in New Town, North Dakota, and was headed for Tacoma, Washington. The train consisted of two head-end locomotives, one distributed power locomotive at the rear, two buffer cars, and 94 tank cars loaded with Bakken crude oil, ...

June 30, 2016

Good news for railway workers, passengers and those living along tracks that carry crude oil. The US Senate recently unanimously passed the Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs and Safety Evaluation Act, known informally as the RESPONSE Act. Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota introduced the act shortly after a December 2013 train derailment in Casselton spilled 400,000 gallons of crude. The bill is aimed at establishing a public-private council that combines emergency responders, federal agencies, and leading experts to review training and best practices for first responders. Co-chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), this special council would provide Congress with expert recommendations on how best to address the safety needs of first responders working train and rail accidents. It also provides additional training for first responders, specifically those handling frei...

June 4, 2016

For most, whistleblowers are deemed heroes. After all, it takes courage to stand up to the powers-that-be and reveal wrongdoing, whether deliberate or inadvertent. Many employees who speak up about safety issues that pose risks to fellow workers, customers and others believe their efforts will be appreciated or even rewarded. But often, they’re unpleasantly surprised and may find themselves suffering financial, emotional and even physical retaliation. Consider these statistics: In one survey, 65 percent of workers participating reported that they had witnessed company wrongdoing of some sort. Of those respondents, 44 percent said they decided not to report wrongdoing for fear of retribution, and 22 percent who did say something were retaliated against. In 2012, more than half of the whistleblower complaints investigated by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were dismissed. Data from the US Equal Employment Opportunity...

May 21, 2016

If you’ve got insight or ideas on the screening, evaluation and treatment of rail workers and commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the US Department of Transportation wants to hear from you. The agency, along with the Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, recently announced they’re seeking input on the issue that affects scores of Americans and potentially places anyone sharing the railways and roadways at risk. Statistics show that upward of 22 million adults nationwide suffer from undiagnosed OSA, a respiratory disorder that leads to a momentary but repeated reduction or cessation of breathing during sleep. Without adequate treatment, OSA can significantly diminish concentration, attention, memory, situational awareness and the capacity to respond to hazards when performing safety-sensitive service. Behind the wheel of a multi-ton commercial truck, a bus filled with school children or tour...

May 6, 2016

  In a recent feature on NBC’s Today, investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen readily admitted a foolish and dangerous mistake he made that might have put the lives of his three young children at risk. In his report, Rossen showed a photo he had snapped and posted on social media showing his two daughters and son standing on a train track. That photo triggered a barrage of criticism, primarily from parents. So intense was the response that Rossen decided to look into the issue as both a parent and a journalist. Rossen’s subsequent Today feature included an experiment facilitated by Jacksonville-based CSX Transportation that clearly illustrated just how close a freight train can be before someone standing near the track hears it – far closer than you might imagine. That’s because, spurred in part by residential neighborhoods’ complaints about noisy trains, technology has made trains quieter than ever. According to the Federal Railroad Administrati...

April 22, 2016

In an effort to boost safety and reduce the number of accidents occurring at the nation’s more than 200,000 railroad crossings, the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration has launched a new website designed as a one-stop shop for better educating and informing drivers, pedestrians and law enforcement officers of safety issues. The new online portal is part of the FRA’s ongoing campaign to end fatalities at railroad crossings and tracks via partnerships that increase education, step up enforcement and leverage engineering.   “Railroad crossings are in nearly every city and town across America,” US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a media release. “Preventing fatalities at crossings and on tracks takes innovative solutions, increased enforcement actions and robust safety education efforts. FRA’s new website is an important tool to help us achieve our goal of zero deaths at crossings and along...

April 8, 2016

Earlier this month, an Amtrak passenger train traveling through rural southwestern Kansas and bound for Chicago derailed, injuring 32 people. A formal investigation is underway, but early reports show that officials with the National Transportation Safety Board suspect that a misalignment in an otherwise straight track is to blame.  Amtrak’s Southwest Chief Train 4 is believed to have been traveling near the posted speed limit of 60 miles per hour when seven coaches derailed shortly after midnight. Of the 131 passengers and 14 crew aboard, 32 were treated at hospitals in Dodge City and Garden City. Fortunately, 29 had been released by midmorning. While Amtrak and NTSB officials aren’t releasing details on patients’ conditions, an early statement from Amtrak sais that there were no life-threatening injuries, thanks in large part to an alert train engineer. "The engineer, apparently from what we understand, was quite vigilant: noticed that there was somet...

March 24, 2016

Known as the FAST Act, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act is expected to vastly improve safety for America’s highway, transit and rail travelers and employees in the near future. The first long-term, comprehensive, fully funded transportation bill in a decade, it authorizes some $305 billion in spending over the next five years for improvements. For the rail industry, the FAST ACT includes multiple provisions for passenger rail (including intercity passenger trains and public transit), freight and general railroad operations.  Here are five ways the FAST Act is will improve safety for American’s passenger rail passengers and employees:  Funding and reform for Amtrak: The FAST Act provides annual funding for Amtrak, starting with $1.45 billion in 2016 and rising to $1.8 billion by 2020. Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program: The bill earmarks just over $1.1 billion for this grant program to support a range...

March 11, 2016