New Safety Regulations Have Been Enacted to Lessen Oil Train Accidents
The frequency of oil train derailments is on the rise, just last week another accident occurred in North Dakota. While no injuries were reported, this is the fifth accident this year. In an attempt to further strengthen the safe transport of crude oil by rail, the Dept. of Transportation recently enacted new safety regulations.
1. Canadian National Railway
February 14, 2015
A 100-car Canadian National Railway train hauling crude oil and petroleum distillates derailed in a remote part of Ontario, Canada. The blaze it ignited burned for days.
2. CSX
February 16, 2015
A 109-car CSX oil train derailed and caught fire near Mount Carbon, West Virginia, leaking oil into a Kanawha River tributary and burning a house to its foundation. The blaze burned for most of week.
3. Canadian National Railway
March 7, 2015
A 94-car Canadian National Railway crude oil train derailed about 3 miles outside the Northern Ontario town of Gogama. The resulting fire destroyed a bridge. The accident was only 23 miles from the Feb. 14th derailment.
4. Burlington Northern-Santa Fe
March 10, 2015
21 cars of a 105-car Burlington Northern-Santa Fe train hauling oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota derailed about 3 miles outside Galena, Illinois, a town of about 3,000 in the state's northwest corner.
5. Burlington Northern-Santa Fe
May 6, 2015
109-car Burlington Northern-Santa Fe train hauling Bakken oil loaded in the Tioga area of North Dakota derails, which prompted the evacuation of the 20-resident town of Heimdal, about 115 miles northeast of Bismarck.