Crude oil train derails in rural northeastern Montana

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

CULBERTSON, Mont. (AP) — An oil train derailed Thursday in rural northeastern Montana, prompting the evacuation of some homes and leaving at least two of the cars leaking crude, authorities said.

There were no immediate reports of injury or fire, but of the 21 cars that derailed only two remained upright, Roosevelt County Sheriff Jason Frederick said.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe spokesman Michael Trevino said the train was pulling 106 loaded crude oil cars when it derailed near Culbertson near the North Dakota border just after 6 p.m. MDT.

Police, fire and other emergency responders were at the site of the derailment, which forced the closure of federal Highway 2, the region's main artery.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7183244bdf5346489e4af513434131a6/crude-oil-train-derails-rural-northeastern-montana

[bvf]

1. Congressional response will

probably entail further cuts to the NTSB budget.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

2. This shit has got to stop! And it will, under Bernie's leadership.

[Delmette]

3. Infrastructure needs attention.

I think that our railroad lines have been over used and stressed. They need repairs as much as highways and bridges especially because they carry so much dangerous materials.

The dangerous materials is another concern that needs to be addressed.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. There was an another derailment not far away on Tuesday.

It has taken me a while to sort this out.

First derailment: nine cars, not carrying Bakken crude, at the end of a 116-car train hauling a variety of commodities, near Blair, Montana. This train was headed east, and the incident happened on Tuesday.

Derailment frustrates Amtrak passengers

Posted: Thursday, July 16, 2015 1:56 pm
As of Thursday morning, still no BNSF rail service
By Eric Killelea
ekillelea@willistonheraldc

Williston — BNSF Railway tracks was estimated to reopen around noon Thursday as crews continued to clean up after nine cars near the end of a 116-car mixed-freight train derailed in northeastern Montana, disrupting Amtrak’s Empire Builder service and stranding passengers between Seattle and St. Paul. Minn.

The train derailed at about 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time on Tuesday near Blair, Mont., about 50 miles west of Williston, said BNSF spokesman Matt Jones. The cars, which remained upright and were not compromised, were traveling from Pasco, Wash. to Minneapolis.

The cars were not carrying hazardous materials, but had three empty cars with residue of ethyl alcohol and liquefied petroleum gas. No injuries or spills were reported. The cause of the derailment remains under investigation.

Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said the derailment delayed passengers between Minot, N.D. and Wolf Point, Mont. traveling east and west. Passengers on the Empire Builder were bused between the two cities on Wednesday, but the busing services were no longer available Thursday. Empire Builder services between Whitefish, Mont. and St. Paul, Minn. were suspended Thursday.

Second derailment: this one. Twenty-two cars of a westbound 106-car train carrying Bakken crude derailed near Culbertson, Montana, on Thursday. Two of the cars were said to be leaking. As we know, details can change by the minute.

Tanker cars leaking oil after another derailment near North Dakota-Montana border

By Amy Dalrymple and Barry Amundson / Forum News Service on Jul 16, 2015 at 10:05 p.m.

CULBERTSON, Mont. – A train carrying oil derailed in northeast Montana Thursday, hours after the tracks reopened from another train derailment that occurred on Tuesday in the same county. ... The westbound train derailed about 6:05 p.m. Mountain Time east of Culbertson, Mont, said BNSF Railway spokesman Matt Jones.

The westbound train contained 106 loaded crude oil tank cars and two buffer cars loaded with sand. Twenty-two cars derailed and two of those remained upright, Jones said. ... The other rail cars were still on the track in the desolate area near the North Dakota and Montana border.

Roosevelt County Sheriff Jason Frederick, who said he was expecting another long night, said about that two of the cars were verified as leaking oil, but there were no fires as of about 11 p.m. Central Time.

No injuries have been reported. Local firefighters and law enforcement officers are at the scene as a precaution, Jones said. ... Also as a precaution all of the rural ranch homes within a mile radius of the derailment were evacuated, said Frederick.

[restorefreedom]

5. this is bad....

we gotta get off the oil. period.

[Sunlei]

6. can't they move those trains slower so they don't tip over? oil corps should pay for ALL the costs.

Pay immediately, directly to the towns emergency services and police. Pay any civilians for the inconvenience.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. Aleady done, sort of.

Feds order speed limits for oil trains

By Keith Laing - 04/17/15 01:41 PM EDT

The Obama administration is requiring freight rail companies to impose a 40 mile per hour speed limit on oil trains that run near major cities that have large populations. ... The announcement, from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), comes in response to a series of high-profile accidents that have raised questions about the safety of shipping large amounts of crude oil by train.

The FRA said Friday that it is issuing an emergency order that will apply the new speed limit to all trains that are carrying 35 or more tank cars loaded with liquids that are considered class 3 flammable materials under federal regulations, which means they have a flash point of at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

“FRA has determined that public safety compels issuance of this Order,” the agency said in a summary of its action. “This Order is necessary due to the recent occurrence of railroad accidents involving trains transportation petroleum crude oil and ethanol and the increasing reliance on railroads to transport voluminous amounts of those hazardous materials in recent years.”

The new speed limits will apply to areas of track that are located within ten miles of 34 metropolitan areas that have been designated "High Threat Urban Areas" by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The high-occupancy cities include New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, among others.

Northeastern Montana is not a metropolitan area.

Also: Regulators Urge Railroads to Make Changes to Improve Oil-Train Safety

My Oil Train Safety Link Farm, Post #4

This is the old Great Northern Railway line across northern Montana, also known as the "Hi-Line." If you've ever been there, you know it pretty much defines the "middle of nowhere." Nothing personal. The line is single-track with passing sidings. The trains have to move along, or there will be a big traffic jam. Because that line carries an Amtrak train, it is rated by the Federal Railroad Administration as good for 80 mile-per-hour passenger traffic and 60 mile-per-hour freight traffic. The current owner, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, can derate the speeds if it so chooses. That is, it can set a lower limit than the FRA, but it cannot set a higher one.

Here's Culbertson:

Fracking Roosevelt County: The Boom Seeps into the Montana Hi-Line

[Sunlei]

8. Another quick action to help Americans by our Superman President