Tanker Cars in Fatal Quebec Rail Crash Had Drawn Scrutiny
By Jim Efstathiou Jr. and Jim Snyder - Jul 9, 2013
U.S. and Canadian regulators have warned for years that the most widely used type of rail tanker is prone to rupturing during derailments.
Those warnings have taken on renewed importance after a runaway train that included the suspect rail cars and filled with crude oil crashed July 6 in a small Canadian town, setting off an explosion that killed at least 13 and destroyed 30 buildings in the city center.
The car, made by several manufacturers and known as DOT-111, ruptures more often in a derailments than other models, investigators have said. The rail industry has opposed regulations proposed by agencies such as the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board that would require retrofitting to make leaks and fires less likely.
“During a number of accident investigations over a period of years, the NTSB has noted that DOT-111 tank cars have a high incidence of tank failures during accidents,” NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said in a 2012 letter recommending tougher standards for the cars.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-09/tanker-cars-in-fatal-quebec-rail-crash-had-drawn-scrutiny.html
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