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U.S., Canada toughen oil train safety standards
Source: Reuters
Industries | Fri May 1, 2015 1:02pm EDT
By Patrick Rucker and Edward McAllister
May 1 (Reuters) - The United States and Canada on Friday announced long-awaited safety rules for trains carrying oil, as regulators seek to reduce risks after a series of explosive accidents that accompanied a surge in crude-by-rail shipments.
The rules call for a rapid phase out of older tank cars considered unsafe during derailments, and are more aggressive than even some of the toughest proposals yet put forward. The rail and energy sectors have already expressed concern that the required speed of the phase outs is not feasible and the potentially billions of dollars in costs will be too high for the small safety improvements they deliver.
Under the rules, announced by Canada's Minister of Transport, Lisa Raitt and U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, tank cars built before October 2011 known as DOT-111 will be phased out within three years. DOT-111 tank cars, until now the workhorse of the oil by rail fleet, are considered prone to puncture during accidents, increasing the risk of fire and explosions.
Tank cars built after October 2011 meeting more updated standards, known as CPC-1232, without reinforced hulls will be phased out by 2020, three years faster than rules proposed in Canada earlier this year that were already considered stringent.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/01/oil-rail-idUSL1N0XS0X420150501
Hat tip, Trainorders: New Rules for Oil Tankers out.
U.S. Tank-Car Rule to Require Electronic Train Brakes
Business | Logistics Report
U.S. working closely with Canada on rail rule
By Amy Harder and Bob Tita
amy.harder@wsj.com
@AmyAHarder
robert.tita@wsj.com
@bob_tita
Updated May 1, 2015 1:22 p.m. ET
U.S. transportation regulators Friday issued tough new rules for railroads hauling crude oil and ethanol that will require trains be equipped with expensive new brake systems.
The regulations also require that sturdier tank cars be built for hauling oil, ethanol and other flammable liquids and prescribes upgrades for an estimated 154,500 tank cars already carrying flammables.
Trains carrying large amounts of crude oil will be restricted to 30 mile an hour speeds if they don’t have new electronic brakes installed by 2021. Other flammable liquids, including ethanol in high volumes would be speed-restricted after 2023. Trains with either a block of 20 or more cars or a total of 35 or more cars of flammable liquid will be required to use a second locomotive to help with braking.
The rules, unveiled Friday in a joint announcement by U.S. and Canadian regulators, were tougher than expected. The electronically controlled pneumatic brakes deploy faster than the air brakes now used on freight trains.
U.S. working closely with Canada on rail rule
By Amy Harder and Bob Tita
amy.harder@wsj.com
@AmyAHarder
robert.tita@wsj.com
@bob_tita
Updated May 1, 2015 1:22 p.m. ET
U.S. transportation regulators Friday issued tough new rules for railroads hauling crude oil and ethanol that will require trains be equipped with expensive new brake systems.
The regulations also require that sturdier tank cars be built for hauling oil, ethanol and other flammable liquids and prescribes upgrades for an estimated 154,500 tank cars already carrying flammables.
Trains carrying large amounts of crude oil will be restricted to 30 mile an hour speeds if they don’t have new electronic brakes installed by 2021. Other flammable liquids, including ethanol in high volumes would be speed-restricted after 2023. Trains with either a block of 20 or more cars or a total of 35 or more cars of flammable liquid will be required to use a second locomotive to help with braking.
The rules, unveiled Friday in a joint announcement by U.S. and Canadian regulators, were tougher than expected. The electronically controlled pneumatic brakes deploy faster than the air brakes now used on freight trains.
Comment:
Glen Graves
1 hour ago
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) just issued a scathing letter to the DOT regarding the requirement of "ECP brakes or a 30 mph speed limit." The evidence to support the DOT's safety argument for requiring ECP brake systems is simply not there.
1 hour ago
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) just issued a scathing letter to the DOT regarding the requirement of "ECP brakes or a 30 mph speed limit." The evidence to support the DOT's safety argument for requiring ECP brake systems is simply not there.
And we have that reaction right here:
New U.S. Rules Governing Flammable Liquids Moved by Rail Enact Misguided Braking Requirement That Threatens Rail Capacity and Service
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New U.S. Rules Governing Flammable Liquids Moved by Rail Enact Misguided Braking Requirement That Threatens Rail Capacity and Service
Based on Flawed Safety Data; Will Trigger Slower Trains Nationwide
WASHINGTON D.C. May 1, 2015- The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today welcomed the tank car rule released by the Department of Transportation (DOT), which requires enhanced design standards the freight railroads have been advocating for years, but said it was disappointed the rule requires either the use of ECP brakes or imposes a 30 mph speed limit.
“First and foremost, the DOT has no substantial evidence to support a safety justification for mandating ECP brakes, which will not prevent accidents,” said Edward R. Hamberger, AAR president and CEO. “The DOT couldn’t make a safety case for ECP but forged ahead anyhow. This is an imprudent decision made without supporting data or analysis. I have a hard time believing the determination to impose ECP brakes is anything but a rash rush to judgment.”
Hamberger also questioned how a safety mandate of such magnitude could become a regulation when the negligible ECP simulation analysis the government conducted concluded with the cautionary note, “Given that this is based on a limited simulation set, the results could be a bit optimistic and should be taken with a grain of salt.”
“President Obama pledged to advance common-sense regulations that are based on the best available science, promote predictability and reduce uncertainty,” Hamberger said. “ECP brakes meet none of these.”
New U.S. Rules Governing Flammable Liquids Moved by Rail Enact Misguided Braking Requirement That Threatens Rail Capacity and Service
Based on Flawed Safety Data; Will Trigger Slower Trains Nationwide
WASHINGTON D.C. May 1, 2015- The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today welcomed the tank car rule released by the Department of Transportation (DOT), which requires enhanced design standards the freight railroads have been advocating for years, but said it was disappointed the rule requires either the use of ECP brakes or imposes a 30 mph speed limit.
“First and foremost, the DOT has no substantial evidence to support a safety justification for mandating ECP brakes, which will not prevent accidents,” said Edward R. Hamberger, AAR president and CEO. “The DOT couldn’t make a safety case for ECP but forged ahead anyhow. This is an imprudent decision made without supporting data or analysis. I have a hard time believing the determination to impose ECP brakes is anything but a rash rush to judgment.”
Hamberger also questioned how a safety mandate of such magnitude could become a regulation when the negligible ECP simulation analysis the government conducted concluded with the cautionary note, “Given that this is based on a limited simulation set, the results could be a bit optimistic and should be taken with a grain of salt.”
“President Obama pledged to advance common-sense regulations that are based on the best available science, promote predictability and reduce uncertainty,” Hamberger said. “ECP brakes meet none of these.”
Associated Press, via the Vancouver (Washington) Columbian:
U.S., Canada unveil rules to boost oil train safety
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Last edited Tue May 5, 2015, 12:23 PM - Edit history (2)
USDOT releases final rule on crude-by-rail safety, joins Transport Canada in introducing new tank-car class5/4/2015
By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
The day that railroads, tank-car builders and lessors, shippers, refiners and other crude-oil supply-chain constituents long have been waiting for arrived on Friday, when the U.S Department of Transportation (USDOT) released its final safety rule governing the transportation of flammable liquids by rail, primarily crude and ethanol.
The USDOT and Transport Canada held a press conference Friday morning to unveil a new class of tank car for flammable liquids. During the conference, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx shared some details about the final safety rule while Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt talked about the importance of the two nations jointly strengthening tank-car standards.
Developed by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and Federal Railroad Administration in coordination with Canada, the USDOT's final rule focuses on safety improvements designed to prevent crude-by-rail accidents, mitigate consequences if an accident occurs and support emergency-response efforts. The rule predominantly applies to high-hazard flammable trains (HHFTs), or a continuous block of 20 or more tank cars loaded with a flammable liquid, or 35 or more tank cars loaded with a flammable liquid dispersed through a train.
The rule stipulates that new tank cars constructed after Oct. 1, 2015, must meet design and performance requirements for a new USDOT-specified class, the DOT-117. In Canada, the new class of tank car will be the TC-117. The car must feature a 9/16-inch shell, 11-gauge jacket, one-half-inch, full-height head shield, thermal protection, and improved pressure-relief valves and bottom outlet valves. Existing tank cars must be retrofitted with the same key components based on a "prescriptive, risk-based" retrofit schedule, according to the USDOT. The final rule will require replacing the entire fleet of DOT-111 tank cars for Packing Group I, which covers most crude shipped by rail, within three years, and all non-jacketed CPC-1232 cars in the same service within five years.
By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
The day that railroads, tank-car builders and lessors, shippers, refiners and other crude-oil supply-chain constituents long have been waiting for arrived on Friday, when the U.S Department of Transportation (USDOT) released its final safety rule governing the transportation of flammable liquids by rail, primarily crude and ethanol.
The USDOT and Transport Canada held a press conference Friday morning to unveil a new class of tank car for flammable liquids. During the conference, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx shared some details about the final safety rule while Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt talked about the importance of the two nations jointly strengthening tank-car standards.
Developed by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and Federal Railroad Administration in coordination with Canada, the USDOT's final rule focuses on safety improvements designed to prevent crude-by-rail accidents, mitigate consequences if an accident occurs and support emergency-response efforts. The rule predominantly applies to high-hazard flammable trains (HHFTs), or a continuous block of 20 or more tank cars loaded with a flammable liquid, or 35 or more tank cars loaded with a flammable liquid dispersed through a train.
The rule stipulates that new tank cars constructed after Oct. 1, 2015, must meet design and performance requirements for a new USDOT-specified class, the DOT-117. In Canada, the new class of tank car will be the TC-117. The car must feature a 9/16-inch shell, 11-gauge jacket, one-half-inch, full-height head shield, thermal protection, and improved pressure-relief valves and bottom outlet valves. Existing tank cars must be retrofitted with the same key components based on a "prescriptive, risk-based" retrofit schedule, according to the USDOT. The final rule will require replacing the entire fleet of DOT-111 tank cars for Packing Group I, which covers most crude shipped by rail, within three years, and all non-jacketed CPC-1232 cars in the same service within five years.
DOT-117 tank car rule debuts with controversy
Friday, May 01, 2015
Written by David Thomas, Contributing Editor
The final spec for the now-official DOT-117 (TC-117 in Canada) non-pressurized tank car adopts the most demanding of the technical requirements first offered for comment in the notice of rulemaking: jacketed and thermally insulated shells of 9/16-inch steel, full-height half-inch-thick head shields, sturdier, re-closeable pressure relief valves and rollover protection for top fittings.
Of most concern to carbuilders and buyers is the tight timeline for the retrofitting or retirement of existing DOT-111s and the newer industry-sponsored CPC-1232 cars constructed since 2011, before the 2013 disaster at Lac-Mégantic forced regulators to finally heed years of warnings by accident investigators in the U.S. and Canada. Those “good faith” cars now need to be upgraded to meet DOT-117 standards by May 1, 2025.
A summary of the rule can be accessed HERE.
The complete rule can be accessed HERE.
Written by David Thomas, Contributing Editor
The final spec for the now-official DOT-117 (TC-117 in Canada) non-pressurized tank car adopts the most demanding of the technical requirements first offered for comment in the notice of rulemaking: jacketed and thermally insulated shells of 9/16-inch steel, full-height half-inch-thick head shields, sturdier, re-closeable pressure relief valves and rollover protection for top fittings.
Of most concern to carbuilders and buyers is the tight timeline for the retrofitting or retirement of existing DOT-111s and the newer industry-sponsored CPC-1232 cars constructed since 2011, before the 2013 disaster at Lac-Mégantic forced regulators to finally heed years of warnings by accident investigators in the U.S. and Canada. Those “good faith” cars now need to be upgraded to meet DOT-117 standards by May 1, 2025.
A summary of the rule can be accessed HERE.
The complete rule can be accessed HERE.