U.S. sets rules to prevent type of rail crash that hit Quebec town

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

U.S. sets rules to prevent type of rail crash that hit Quebec town

WASHINGTON | Fri Aug 2, 2013 7:53pm EDT

(Reuters) - The U.S. rail safety regulator issued rules on Friday meant to prevent the kind of runaway fuel-train accident that devastated a Canadian town last month.

Under the rules, rail cars carrying hazardous materials like combustibles may not be left unattended on main tracks or adjacent tracks unless specifically authorized.

Railroads must boost their safety procedures and record-keeping for trains that carry hazardous material and are braked, according to the rules from the Federal Railroad Administration.

Last month, a parked train carrying crude oil broke loose and crashed in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, exploding into a fireball that killed 47 people. It was North America's worst rail disaster in two decades.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/02/us-usa-rail-crude-idUSBRE9711BT20130802

[elleng]

1. In NYT,

The FRA's emergency order didn't ban one-man crews but the Transportation Department, which oversees the FRA, said in the statement that "railroad safety is enhanced through the use of multiple crew members." In a separate safety advisory, the Transportation Department recommended that railroads review their crew staffing requirements for transporting hazardous material and ensure that they are adequate.

Under one of the FRA orders announced Friday, no train or vehicles transporting specified hazardous materials can be left unattended on a mainline track or side track outside a yard or terminal, unless specifically authorized.

Another order mandates that, in order to receive authorization to leave a train unattended, railroads must develop and submit to the FRA a process for securing unattended trains transporting hazardous materials. Included in the order are locking the locomotive or otherwise disabling it, and reporting among employees to ensure the correct number of hand brakes are applied.

"Today's action builds upon a comprehensive regulatory framework we have had in place for some time," FRA Administrator Joseph C. Szabo said in a statement. "The safe shipment of all cargo is paramount and protecting the safety of the American public is fundamental to our enforcement strategy and we are encouraged by the industry's willingness to cooperate with this approach going forward."

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/08/02/us/politics/ap-us-railroad-safety.html?hp